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 Genius Way Wimbledon Saves Mice Every Year

December 19, 2025

When park ranger Dale Osborne noticed that torrential rain was constantly flooding the plains of Watermead Country Park North in Leicestershire, England, he watched helplessly as local harvest mice lost their nests and found himself picking up mice swimming around in the water to place them on dry land. In

Read More
Happy News

World’s First Magical Seahorse National Park

December 19, 2025

Eleuthera, a skinny 110 mile long island located 70 miles east of Nassau, bears an uncanny resemblance to a seahorse when viewed from above, making it the perfect location for the world’s first seahorse national park at Sweetings Pond and Hatchet Bay Caves. The new 548 acre park protects Sweetings

Read More
Happy News

Prehistoric Discovery Proves Manatees Are Ocean Heroes

December 19, 2025

Nicholas Pyenson, curator of fossil marine mammals at the National Museum of Natural History, co-authored groundbreaking research that reveals a treasure trove of fossils uncovered in southwestern Qatar, proving that anateesm have been protecting ocean ecosystems for tens of millions of years. The team discovered a distant relative of modern

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 © 2025 HappyNews.