Skip to content
  • Happy Health
  • Happy Mindset
  • Animal Wonders
  • About Us
    • Team
  • Subscribe
Menu
  • Happy Health
  • Happy Mindset
  • Animal Wonders
  • About Us
    • Team
  • Subscribe
Happy News

The School Garden That Teaches Kids Food Doesn’t Come From Stores

When Sister Sharon Dillon arrived at Heritage Middle School in South Berwyn, Illinois six years ago, she found seven garden beds completely overtaken by weeds and wondered how such a positive school could look so neglected outside, but now those beds burst with cucumbers, collard greens, tomatoes, onions, garlic, potatoes, jalapeños, and herbs like mint, basil, parsley, and thyme. During class periods, Dillon’s sixth, seventh, and eighth-grade science students check each bed to see what needs weeding and what can be harvested, with most eighth graders having worked on the garden for over two years and developing deep connections to the soil and the food it produces. Student Sofia Garcia Marquez loves watching the flowers grow and sometimes picks jalapeños to take home because her mom likes them, while fellow student Somaya Price treasures memories of coming outside to enjoy the air and plant seeds in the earth. The garden has boosted students’ confidence according to Dillon, giving them something concrete to show friends and say their class accomplished while developing respect for Earth as the source of food.

The most striking impact is students’ newfound understanding that food actually grows from the ground rather than simply appearing in grocery stores, a realization that transforms how they view meals and waste. After making do with their own materials for years, Dillon called Home Depot for donations and in spring 2022 they added nutrients to the soil, turned all the beds, and fixed dying trees around campus, while a KidsGardening grant provided materials to cover beds and prevent squirrels and rabbits from eating the plants. The students work almost year-round, picking green tomatoes before the first frost and placing them in newspaper inside brown bags in the closet where they ripen over weeks, then turning soil and adding mulch until spring returns. Maintaining the garden takes tremendous work with Dillon arriving as early as 6:15 a.m. during summer break to weed, water, and harvest, but she believes the effort is worth it as students learn composting, sustainable practices, and the profound connection between Earth and the food that sustains us.

PrevPreviousThis Stand Offers Free Grandma Advice To Strangers
NextThis Restaurant Regular Never Missed A Day Until He DisappearedNext

Recent Articles

Happy News

The Internet Is Obsessed With This Cat Who Ignores The Canada-US Border

March 22, 2026

On a quiet street in British Columbia, right where Canada meets the United States, lives a cat who has decided that international borders simply do not apply to him. His name is Louis Vuitton, and every single day he leaps across a narrow ditch that marks the official boundary between

Read More
Happy News

Half A Million People Voted And They All Agree On One Thing

March 22, 2026

When researchers asked people across 92 countries whether they would rather protect the environment or grow the economy if they had to choose, the answer that came back was surprisingly consistent: most people chose the planet. A new study from the University of Vermont found that nearly 58 percent of

Read More
Happy News

This City Gave Over A Million Dollars In Cash Directly To New Moms

March 22, 2026

When a baby is born in Detroit, a check arrives in the mail within days. That is the promise behind Rx Kids, a new no-strings-attached cash aid program that launched in the city and distributed more than a million dollars to over 1,000 families in its very first month. The

Read More
« Previous Next »
  • Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility Notice
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Unsubscribe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility Notice
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Unsubscribe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2026 HappyNews.