Saturday, January 21, 2012

Wolfe Street Receives Lowe's Grant for Living Classroom


The Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation (LCEF) has awarded Wolfe Street Academy a 2011-2012 Lowe's Toolbox for Education grant of $2,000 to support the school's Outdoor Living Classroom Project.

The grant will enable the school to transform an underutilized courtyard into a serene Living Classroom learning environment for students, families and the local community. The courtyard, which currently contains a container garden, will also include benches, raised flower beds, a butterfly garden, a bird bath and feeders.

Teachers will use the University of Maryland Food Supplement Nutrition Education Program's Growing Healthy Habits (GHH) curriculum to provide nutrition education through gardening.

This curriculum was developed specifically for educators in Maryland reaching low-income youth who wish to use gardening as a tool for improving nutrition-related behaviors. GHH was written by Chrissa Carlson, Hampstead Hill Academy's Food for Life Educator.

A variety of partners are supporting the project. Students from Kennedy Krieger High School have volunteered to build the raised planter beds; Master Gardeners from the University of Maryland’s Nutrition Education Program will provide technical assistance; and the Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation will provide a variety of workshops for students on nutrition and gardening.

We would like to thank Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation for supporting our Living Classroom project.

About Lowe’s Toolbox for Education
Lowe’s Toolbox for Education grant program is funded by the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation, which has supported thousands of grassroots community and school projects in the communities where Lowe’s does business. Learn More.