Shuman Elementary School welcomes the community to attend a groundbreaking ceremony for the new school garden project on Wednesday, March 23^rd at 10:00am. Planting an organic garden is part of Sandra Cason's program to establish Shuman as a model green and healthy school. The goal of the project is to have an interactive, educational garden that will engage the community, offer gardening classes to local residents and bring the Garden to School program in by serving fresh produce to the students.  

The project is a collaborative effort that has been two years in the making. Ms. Cason, Vice President for the Savannah/Chatham Council of PTAs, has gathered a dedicated group of community leaders, entrepreneurs, and health and wellness advocates to make this dream a reality. Funding for the garden has in part been secured by Scott Boylston of Emergent Structures through a grant from IKEA. Step Up Savannah's Construction Apprentice Program will be providing the garden structures through reclaimed materials from the Strathmore Estates demolition. Kelly Lockamy of Savannah Urban Garden Alliance (SUGA) will design and plant the garden to mirror what the children eat in the cafeteria, and Julie Boram, a science teacher from Shuman Elementary has been working on an educational plan that ties the garden to state standards for k-5 schools. Champions of the project include Dennis Hutton from Metropolitan Planning Commission and Healthy Savannah who serves as the Environmental Chair for the Savannah Chatham Council of PTAs and Marsha Hargreave of St. Josephs/Candler who serves as Nutrition Chair.

"Children need locally grown fresh produce, less sugar and fewer processed foods," says Cason. "Children need to go outside and interact with nature. It gives them time to reflect in quiet, it sooths the spirit and enriches their souls." She adds, "The increase in ADD and depression has been directly linked to diet and exercise. Our grandparents were right and the old ways really do prove to be better. Somewhere in the technology race, we lost our way, and this has had a devastating effect on our children. But, one child, one garden at a time, we have the ability to change that."

Ms. Cason has done her home work. There are numerous studies which prove that good eating and exercise habits in children will result in better test scores and fewer discipline problems.

For more information, please contact Jodi Laird at lairdj@spinesport.org.