With the advent of fall, the Gardening Club at Saint Martin de Porres Academy is working hard to harvest tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, peaches, and more!
Gardening is one of SMPA’s co-curricular activities, which all students participate in at the end of the school day after classes. Mondays and Wednesdays are arts and service activities, while Tuesdays and Thursdays are sports and physical education.
Our Gardening Club works hard every Wednesday to plant and harvest a variety of fruits, vegetables, and flowers in our school garden. Many of the fruits and vegetables that the club harvests are used in our school kitchen to teach our students about the work that goes into every meal and the importance of healthy and sustainable food practices. We also donate a portion of the food gathered from our garden to a soup kitchen in New Haven to help serve our less fortunate brothers and sisters. A special thanks to Mr. Lou Drago, one of our many generous community volunteers, who leads our gardening club each week.
Gardeners also tend to share the produce they grow, thus improving the vegetable intake of their friends and family and keeping them connected to their social network.