Burke-Memorial Elementary School Students Harvest Fall Crops Through Partnership with Medway Community Farm

Burke-Memorial Elementary School students harvest the crops they planted in September. (Photo Courtesy Medway Public Schools)

MEDWAY — What began in September with handfuls of seeds dropped into fresh soil ended this week with students proudly carrying bundles of their own vegetables to a farm stand set up for families at Burke-Memorial Elementary School.

On Tuesday, Nov. 18, second- and third-grade students harvested the crops they have been tending since the start of the school year, completing a hands-on project done in collaboration with Medway Community Farm.

Sixteen classes each care for one raised garden bed located behind the school. Students planted in mid-September and returned regularly to water and weed their garden, while watching their vegetables grow through the fall. This year’s harvest included kale, radishes, spinach, lettuce, kohlrabi, napa, beets, scallions and chard.

Classes visited the garden in pairs for Harvest Day and pulled and cleaned their crops to prepare them for sale, with the help of gardeners from Medway Community Farm. The students then helped run a small farm stand for families to purchase their produce. Most of the vegetables sold quickly, but remaining items were donated to local food pantries.

Burke-Memorial and Medway Community Farm have collaborated for more than 15 years to offer agriculture-based learning experiences for students. Fourth-grade students will visit Medway Community Farm later this school year as part of the same farm-to-table learning program.

“This yearly project gives our students a real sense of what it takes to grow food from the ground up,” said Principal John Kelley. “Harvest Day is exciting for them because they see the payoff for their work and get to share it with their families. We appreciate the continued support from Medway Community Farm and all the volunteers who help make this possible.”

###