By Yujia Song

Molly Brown believes most children have no idea what goes on in the natural world around them. The exceptions are the children at Waddell Elementary, who participate in Brown's garden classroom.

For 10 years, “The Roots and Shoots Intergenerational School Garden” at Waddell Elementary school has kept the students in touch with nature. The children, called the “Shoots,” grow vegetables, flowers and herbs during school with the help of older community volunteers, the “Roots.”

At Waddell, second graders will plant their first seeds for observation on March 7.

“The garden has become a wonderful, critical, important piece of the curriculum,” said Lisa Clark, the school's principal.

Lexington City School Board endorsed the program on Feb. 13. The board promised to work with the program's main sponsor, the Blue Ridge Garden Club, to maintain it as “an integral part of the school curriculum.”

The endorsement was a great relief for Brown, who said she was worried the school board’s proposal to replace Waddell might bring an end to the garden. “The future [of Waddell] is uncertain, but we hope the garden can be included in future planning of the school,” said Brown.

Brown and her late husband, Dirck Brown, began the program in 1995 with a group of second graders. The program won the Commonwealth Award from the Garden Club of Virginia in 1997. This grant enabled the program to expand and provide a garden for every grade. For example, fourth grade students tend a colonial herb garden that relates to their study of colonial history.

Brown, a former teacher, said her lesson plans conform to the Standards of Learning for Virginia public schools. Lessons are interdisciplinary-- incorporating poems, science experiments and group activities.

"We drew what we saw (in the garden)," said fifth grader Gabbi Harrison, "and we wrote stories about them."

Weekly hour-long garden lessons are taught by Brown and other volunteers, said Sally Smith, a second grade teacher at Waddell. During her class time, Smith said she reinforces Brown's lessons.

“I build upon that introduction,” Smith said. “When kids learn about parts of a seed, I let them make drawings of a seed, read and talk about what a seed needs to sprout - we call it ‘wake up.’”

“They really like going out working in the garden,” Smith continued. But not every school can offer this direct, hands-on experience with nature. Without such a garden, “students would learn about nature from reading or field trips,” she said.

Brown said children have the chance to observe life cycles of plants and animals in the garden. Children spend too much time indoors and do not understand what happens in nature, said Brown.

“One kid thought potatoes grow in the basement of Kroger,” said Brown.

However, gardening lessons teach the students that potatoes come from the earth. "I loved digging up potatoes (in the garden)," said fifth grader Sarah Ritter.

The garden is sponsored by the Blue Ridge Garden Club, Parent Teacher Association of Waddell and local businesses. The construction of the garden was a combined effort by community members, such as the Kiwanis Club, a local men's group.

“It [the garden] gives people in the community a chance to see what we are doing in the school,” said Smith.

Program volunteers range in age but the majority of volunteers are senior citizens, said Brown.

When asked why she has continued to support the program for the past eight years, volunteer Marti Gansz said, “You have to come back…Kids are so enthused, and they would love their parents to know about it.”

Gansz encouraged her former neighbor, Joan Carson, to volunteer with the program. Gansz said the program is “perfect” for someone like Carson, who used to work at a preschool and enjoys gardening. Now in her third year of volunteering, Carson said she is having fun.

Gardening programs have spread to other schools in the area. Carol Hughes, Brown’s partner from the Blue Ridge Garden Club, said the school garden at Effinger is an outgrowth of the Waddell program. Gardening programs have also sprung up in Williamsburg, Va., and St. Louis, Mo.

Produced by Washington and Lee journalism students.

Lead supervisor:      Prof. Claudette Artwick

Reporting supervisor: Prof. Doug Cumming

Editing supervisor:  Prof. Pamela Luecke

Technical supervisor:  Michael Todd