Southern Indiana school grows youths' interest in gardening

SELLERSBURG, Ind. (AP) - She thought they'd end up with a window box and a few flowers. Instead, they've got 16 plots next to the high school and more green beans than they know what to do with.

Olivia Hanely's glad it worked out that way, though.

"I thought it was amazing," said Hanely, a math teacher at Rock Creek Community Academy. "We have athletes, we have scholars and kids I don't even know who come together on this without complaining. They don't argue, they just want to do good."

At the end of last year, Hanely and a handful of students founded the school's gardening club. Hanely's vision for the garden started off small. But after recruiting Zach Roseberry, who's a senior this year, he tended the concept and grew it more than she expected.

After tweaking the idea, they ended up with raised gardening beds, pre-built by a donor and finished on-site by students. Earth First donated the dirt to fill them and McCoy's Nursery and Landscaping Co. donated the flowers and vegetables.

Hanely said about 20 students are in the group now. At least once a day, they come out to make sure the plants are watered and vegetables are picked. With the green beans, they fill a plastic grocery bag quickly, then give them to whomever asks for them first.

Roseberry, who also plays on the school's football team, said a lot of people say they've never heard of Rock Creek when he tells them where he goes to school. He said he hopes starting the gardening club will bring a little more attention to the campus.

"Rock Creek is a pretty small school and not a lot of people know about it," Roseberry said. "I think athletically, we're pretty well-known, but that's about all anyone sees."

Students are working to find out where they're going to send some of the vegetables they grow, such as charities or food banks. With that, he said he hopes Rock Creek gets recognized for something other than sports.

Noah Allen, a junior on the soccer team, also helps lead the club. After gardening with his parents for years and enjoying garden-fresh produce at home, he advises on what kind of plants to grow and techniques to make sure they flourish.

He also helped figure out which plants will naturally repel plant-eating insects to keep them from using pesticides.

Though tending the garden at home was an extra duty for him, it's something he said he enjoys, both at home and away.

"Gardening kind of passes the time and in the end, you get this really great outcome, whether it's a flower or a nice, red tomato," Allen said.

Roseberry said he may take his work from the club home, but it's something that's helped him ground himself a little more.

"I think gardening in itself, I won't pursue," Roseberry said. "But taking on anything that helps you grow, you should grasp at it, no matter what it is."

___

Source: News and Tribune, http://bit.ly/1iZJhep

___

Information from: News and Tribune, Jeffersonville, Ind., http://www.newsandtribune.com