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09/25/2013 12:00 AMWESTBROOK - Getting students at Daisy Ingraham Elementary School to eat their fresh vegetables may be easier now that they'll grow the plants themselves.
Where will they grow and tend them? In a new heated greenhouse and teaching garden dedicated last week in memory of longtime town educator Joanne Murray. At the ceremony members of Murray's extended family were there to celebrate the new science teaching resource named in her honor.
As a tool for teaching young children the science of the growth cycle, the new greenhouse and garden will be a valuable resource, explained Principal Kit Bishop.
"Every grade has a science unit that can incorporate the greenhouse. Every student will have a chance to grow, care for, and eat products of the new greenhouse," said Bishop. "We're starting to grow plants already."
The first greens growing in the new teaching garden and greenhouse are kale, lettuce, spinach, and broccoli. They were already sprouting by the time the greenhouse garden had its dedication ceremony.
The idea for the greenhouse germinated after a visit that Bishop made to her grandchildren's school in Maine. Teachers were using the greenhouse as a resource in teaching about the growth cycle and living things. When Bishop returned to Westbrook, a Daisy Elementary School student's parent, Sylvia Guinan, coincidentally approached her to suggest adding a school garden.
"When I first approached Kit Bishop with this idea, the timing was perfect. I was the chairwoman on the board for the American Heart Association and our number-one initiative was promoting a healthier generation. Kit had observed the benefits of a teaching garden and her grandchildren's school in Maine," said Guinan, chairman of the greenhouse garden project.
"Kit and I shared the vision to develop a teaching garden at Daisy to use as a tool to teach children how to plant seeds, nurture growing plants, harvest produce, and ultimately understand the value of good eating habits," Guinan continued.
With the help of a $10,700 donation from the Westbrook Foundation to buy the greenhouse, the project idea grew. Commitments from school parents, local businesses, and residents to provide in-kind services and donations fertilized the seeds of the garden idea.
To erect the greenhouse, though, permits had to be secured and the site prepared. To help with these tasks, businesses and volunteers from the school community raised their hands.
Dwayne and Devin Xenelis agreed to do the site work, consult on permits, and provide the finishing gravel. Jack Xenelis and Ken Brajczewski helped, too. Alec Orlansky built the greenhouse and planting boxes. Dawn Hendrickson, a master gardener, advised on soil and plantings. Dawn and husband Dave helped put the dirt in the cedar boxes and prepped the area for seeding, with help from son Eric. Connecticut Irrigation/Lawn People donated the irrigation system for the greenhouse and outside garden.
The PTO also committed to provide ongoing financial support to keep the greenhouse project going. The group committed to raise $3,000 annually to pay for the garden's ongoing operating expenses-and so a garden grew and will continue to grow the seeds of knowledge in Daisy students for years to come.