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Wheeling students discover the wonder of gardening

It's been a productive summer for students at London Middle School in Wheeling. As of last week, they had made six heaping donations of fresh vegetables from their school garden to the Wheeling Township Food Pantry.

On a recent visit, they left a grocery bag filled with hundreds of cherry tomatoes and another bag filled with fresh cilantro. That's right - these students are becoming foodies.

Now in their fifth summer of growing a community garden in the school courtyard, they have raised the traditional tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, lettuce, watermelon, carrots, cucumbers and onions.

Increasingly, they are adding herbs. Along with cilantro, they are growing basil and even lavender this summer.

Special education teacher Brenda Theisen coordinates the Garden Club, and she sees how it benefits the students.

For starters, she says, it connects them to nature and the outdoors.

"The kids talk about the plants, the seeds, the soil and the bugs they encounter," Theisen says. "They taste the food, watch their plants grow, care for them through watering and weeding, and are proud of what they produce.

"They just love to be outside," she adds. "With so many teens electronically connected or screen-connected, gardening is a break in their day."

The garden and its produce also are incorporated into lesson plans about foods that are healthy and organic. The eighth-grade health class talks about the dangers of pesticides and the benefits of eating organic.

"Our goal is that they continue to eat vegetables they are familiar with, and know that what they are eating is good for them," Theisen said.

Right from the start, the mission was to donate their harvest to the food pantry, and they have remained committed to that goal.

"We share a belief in giving back to our community," said Principal Luis Correa. "We know the garden benefits our larger community through the food pantry, which may also reach some of our own London families."

Wheeling Township officials appreciate all the fresh vegetables. Julie Villarreal, general assistance director, says more than 400 Northwest suburban families visit the pantry each month.

With the cost of fresh fruits and vegetables, she says, produce is often the first to be cut from a family's food budget. At the pantry, however, they choose from a produce section filled with donations, just as if they were shopping.

"Having fresh vegetables means healthier food preparation for families," Villarreal says. "It means that they can stretch their SNAP dollars (or food stamps) farther to buy more milk or meat."

Students at London know little of this, their teachers say. They just like to garden. When they return next week to school, there will be three teams of students and Garden Club members harvesting the plots.

The project also has interested ESL students, who plan to take over one of the plots this fall.

Five years in, Theisen says the garden has been worth the effort.

"It's a great opportunity for them to know that what they do in the garden is important and helps families put food on the table," Theisen says. "Kids feel proud about contributing to their community."

  Sixth-grader Joshua Gonzalez gathers a bag of vegetables picked from the London Middle School garden. Bob Chwedyk/bchwedyk@dailyherald.com
  Sixth-grader Sam Wood carefully juggles some tomatoes, keeping them safe for the food pantry. Bob Chwedyk/bchwedyk@dailyherald.com
  A bounty of ripe vegetables on the way to the Wheeling Township Food Pantry. Bob Chwedyk/bchwedyk@dailyherald.com
  London Middle School students harvest ripe vegetables for the Wheeling Township Food Pantry. Bob Chwedyk/bchwedyk@dailyherald.com
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