BREANNA PASSMORE, at left, a student at Cricket Hunt School in Freeport, plants a fruit tree at the school in April 2012. It was the first phase of planting for the school orchard. At right, ReTreeUS co-founder Moriah Salter, back left, and Cricket Hunt School director Michele Bois- Gilbody pose with one of the educational orchard signs on May 20. This spring the orchard project was completed, bringing the total to seven fruit trees and four grapevines. Student helpers this spring include, from left, Kai Fitz-Randolph, Jackson Hall and Ivan Simmons.
This is one of many projects on which Cricket Hunt School, an independent, developmentally based preschool in Freeport, and ReTreeUS, a local nonprofit project, have collaborated.
“We ask all of our schools to spread the word about our program and help raise funds for future plantings,” said Salter, “and Cricket Hunt has really stepped up.”
With the support of Cricket Hunt students, families and school director Michele Bois- Gilbody, ReTreeUS has led educational programs with CHS kindergartners during a unit on trees, filmed a video for its successful fundraising campaign on Kickstarter.com, and is involved in the initial stages of planning a farm-totable class at Cricket Hunt.
Cricket Hunt School plans to celebrate its 12th anniversary this year by focusing more on food production and preparation. In fact, some staff and parents hope to construct a greenhouse there this summer.
“We would use the food grown there, as well as fruit from the orchard, to teach students about good nutrition and protecting earth’s resources,” Bois-Gilbody explained.
Staff with expertise in farming and cooking will partner with classroom teachers to create a well-rounded program with benefits for kids, such as kale chips and homemade plum jam.
“In addition to tasty treats and fresh nutrients, school garden and orchard programs have been linked to a greater understanding of curricula learned in the classroom, improved academic scores, as well as a better understanding of teamwork, responsibility and respect for others,” said Salter. “Cricket Hunt School teachers already focus on instilling these important skills, and a food program like this is the perfect complement to their strong educational foundation.”
Cricket Hunt School is now enrolling for the 2013-14 school year. Learn more at www.crickethunt.com or www.retreeus.org.
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