Farm to School Curriculum Connections Karyn Novakowski, Somerville Public Schools Chris Mancini, Groundwork Somerville Sarah Lindsay, Groundwork Somerville Mass Farm to School Conference, January 13, 2015

Somerville Schools Somerville Culturally rich city with 50 native languages spoken Lunch served to ~3000 students daily at SPS 10 District Schools: PreK to 12 (5000 students) 1 Charter School: Prospect Hill Academy ~78,800 residents in ~4 sq miles makes it the most densely populated community in New England 67% free and reduced lunch at SPS

Somerville Food and Nutrition Services Salad bars at 7 K-8 Schools and High School Fresh fruit and vegetable program at 3 K-8 schools Events: Food Day, Corn Shucking Day 6 schools received Bronze award for HUSSC Vegetable of the Month Cafeteria and in-class taste tests DoD Fresh Farm to School Project Shape Up Somerville Approved

USDA F2S Planning Grant: Strategically align all of the district’s farm to school efforts Work with FNS on sourcing local foods for school food program Offer food education programs Develop short and long term goals and implementation plan Funding from within FNS DoD Fresh – Local foods Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program – Local foods USDA Farm to School Planning Grant – planning, taste tests, curriculum development, local sourcing, school gardens Funding through District Somerville Family Learning Collaborative – Pop up Literacy Workshop Somerville Community Schools - Cooking Club PEP Grant – Cooking Club, Food Literacy Programs School discretionary budget – School Gardens Partner funded programs Groundwork Somerville – School Gardens Project Bread – Healthy Summer Harvest Funding Farm to School in Somerville

Mission Grow, cook, eat, repeat Cultivate a sense of place Advocate for good food Mission and Goals Project goals: -Educate eaters about mindful eating and food systems - Serve fresh, flavorful, nutritious locally grown, seasonal foods in school meals and snacks - Develop school gardens as a viable resource for Somerville schools and community - Support local farmers and the local economy - Create a tangible link to the city of Somerville's urban agriculture, healthy living initiatives

Somerville Farm to School Programs Cafeteria, Classroom, Community

Cafeteria Taste Tests In Class Taste Tests One time garden lessons One time special events: Ag Literacy Week, Food Day, Corn Shucking Day Series lessons Afterschool programs: gardening, cooking, arts, food justice Community events: SFLC Raising a Reader Somerville Farm to School Programming

A Tale of Two Apples 56% of students (~1800 students) 7 schools: 1 Early childhood center & 6 K-8 schools Single item tasting Cafeteria Taste Tests

In Class Sensory Taste Test 21% of students participated (560 students) 7 K-6 schools June: Strawberry spinach salad September: Baba ganoush October/November: Moroccan Carrot Salad

One off garden lesson: Garlic planting

DayTopicActivityRecipe 1Fall alphabet garden Garden treasure hunt, Create a garden alphabet book N/A 2 What plants need to grow Read a book, Plant a seedN/A 3 Parts of the plant 1 (Stems) Stem experiment Hummus and veggies 4 Parts of the plant 2 (Roots and Leaves) Root exploration, leaf exploration Moroccan Carrot Salad 5 Parts of the plant 3 (Flowers and Fruits) Pumpkin seed explorationN/A 6Wrap upN/A Series Lessons: First Grade Curriculum adapted from Project Bread Healthy Summer Harvest

Afterschool Programming Sowing seedsSeedling farmIn the garden

Community education events Somerville Family Learning Collaborative Raising a Reader

Mission: Groundwork Somerville strives to bring about the sustained regeneration, improvement and management of the physical environment through the development of community-based partnerships which empower people, businesses and organizations to promote environmental, economic and social well-being. Healthy Education Green Jobs Sustainable Community

Series Lessons: Farm to School Curriculum Part I: Early Spring – Garden Curriculum Day 1: Comparing food-growing capabilities of different regions in the US Day 2: Farms and Farmers in MA Day 3: Assess conditions in schoolyard garden (space, sun exposure, etc.) Day 4: Make planting plan for garden Day 5: Start seedlings Part II: Late Spring -One-day farmer’s visit to the classroom -Plant seedlings in school garden -Farm field trip Part III: Early Fall -History of Corn curriculum is delivered in class -Harvest in school garden -Corn shucking and eating event!

Education: Maple-sugaring themed curriculum is delivered in Somerville’s public 2 nd grade classrooms Harvest: Sugar maples are tapped on Tufts campus, sap is collected Boil Down: Collected sap is made into syrup in a fun and educational 2-day event at the Somerville Growing Center (the first day is a field trip for 2 nd graders, the second day is open to the community) Maple Syrup Project

-Creation of urban growing sites and garden spaces at schools -Involvement of community/school in building process Garden Builds

After School Programs -Preparing school garden for a new season -Garden maintenance -Planting (bulbs in Fall, seeds in Spring) -Building and maintaining a compost bin

Contact us! Karyn Novakowski Somerville Farm to School Project Director Somerville Public Schools Chris Mancini Executive Director Groundwork Somerville Sarah Lindsay MassLIFT-AmeriCorps Service Learning Coordinator Mass Farm to School Conference, January 13, 2015