Marion’s Sippican School Third-Graders Plant Garlic and Clover Through First Grow Education Farm-to-School Program

MARION — Superintendent Michael S. Nelson and Sippican Elementary School Principal Marla Brown are pleased to announce that the school has partnered with the Marion Institute to provide the Grow Education Farm-to-School (Grow FTS) program.

This is the first year that Grow Education Farm-to-School program has come to Sippican School. Earlier this year, Sippican Elementary School’s third-grade students were visited by special guest Nate Sander of the Marion Institute for an outdoor lesson about general gardening practices.

Students learned about science while beautifying their school by planting garlic and clover in Sippican’s newly-built raised gardening beds. They learned about how the sun and soil work together to produce an environment conducive for a plant to grow and thrive. 

“Witnessing the positive impact of our new partnership with the Grow Education Farm-to-School program has been truly inspiring,” said Superintendent Nelson. “Together, we’ve cultivated a learning environment that goes beyond textbooks by nurturing tangible skills and passion in our students.”

Third-graders and staff members will attend “virtual field trips” and hear from guest speakers involved in the program during the upcoming winter months. In April, the Grow FTS program will return to Sippican for the butterfly study and spring planting, as well as in May for a harvest workshop and June for a summer planting workshop. 

Earlier this year, the Marion Institute provided Sippican third-grade teachers Tracy Anthony, Mary Jayne Couet, Tracy Feeney and Kimberly Souza a professional development day at the Round the Bend Farm to learn about the Grow FTS initiative. The third-grade team also completed online reading lessons, which gave an overview of the lessons students will learn through different Grow FTS programs.

“On behalf of the Marion School Committee, I would like to thank the Marion Institute, the various Town Departments and our amazing community for supporting this project, and, of course, our teachers for making it come to fruition for the children,” said Marion School Committee Chairperson April Nye. “We look forward to seeing its success firsthand, as the seasons go by and the children have the opportunity to get out there and bring things to life.”

“It’s wonderful to see our students participate in the Grow FTS program,” said Principal Brown. “Having this hands-on learning experience fosters a connection to nature and promotes skills that extend beyond the classroom.”

“We are thrilled to partner with Sippican’s third-grade teachers and the Marion School District to bring our Grow Education Farm-to-School (Grow FTS)  programming to the Tri Town,” said Liz Wiley, Executive Director of the Marion Institute, which operates Grow FTS programming. “These school gardens are microcosms of our regional food system where students learn about plants’ parts, lifecycles, and health benefits as well as the environment and its impact on local food. It is so important for our youth to be connected to their world in this way. We look forward to a great year at Sippican and to growing the partnership across the district’s elementary schools.”

About the Grow Education Program

The Marion Institute launched Grow Education Farm-to-School (Grow FTS)  programming to support teachers, engage families and educate students in creating healthier eating and living habits. The Marion Institute works in partnership with school districts to build a more equitable food system that promotes ecological literacy, health and sustainability while covering the plant life-cycle curriculum. The Grow FTS program has partnered with many school districts including New Bedford and Westport.

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