Orchard Prairie Students Cultivate Learning In Garden

It was the best of things and the worst of things for Neil McKay.

The Orchard Prairie Elementary School kindergarten student had everything a boy could want at his fingertips - mud, earthworms and caterpillars.

And everything that could create loathing in his heart at meal time - like peas, broccoli and Brussels sprouts.

But Neil, who was thrilled, wasn’t thinking that far ahead last week when Orchard Prairie’s 72 students planted a school garden.

“This project is Orchard Prairie at its best,” teacher Ed McCarthy said.

The kids and their three teachers have been planning the garden since January.

Finally last week the weather, the seedlings and the timing were right.

Working the land isn’t new to the families in Orchard Prairie.

Orchard Prairie is the name of the rural community along Bigelow Gulch Road and the name of a school district so little that the school secretary doubles as the bus driver.

Orchard Prairie is one of the few remaining farm communities so near to Spokane.

But the practice of farming, and even gardening, is increasingly rare to the children even on the prairie.

“Many of these kids come from families that started farming on the prairies three or four or five generations ago,” teacher Janet Isherwood said. “Few of the families still farm.

“More and more families are newcomers to the prairie.”

The idea for the garden came from second-grader Megan Steele, who is a newcomer to the little school district.

Since January the whole school has been collaborating.

Students were divided into groups that included one or two children from each of the seven grades.

Students did science experiments related to gardening, which taught them about soil, weather and seeds.

They started their plants.

The garden was planted on land loaned to the school by neighbors Gary and Ann Larrabee. School Superintendent Bob McMillan put a gate in the school fence so kids could get to the garden.

Brian Cutler, a sixth-grader who is the fifth generation in his family to attend Orchard Prairie, was an old hand at working the land. He quickly became a leader in his crossgrade group by showing younger kids how to handle the seedlings and stake them up.

Younger kids had lots of questions.

Some children, who found an anthill in the middle of the garden, asked Isherwood: “Are ants like earthworms? Will they help our plants?”

Help for bomb victims

Sixth-graders at Deer Park’s Arcadia Elementary raised $260 Friday to benefit Oklahoma City bombing victims.

The money came from a lunchtime bake sale.

The Excell grocery store in Deer Park donated day-old baked goods, and students brought their own home-baked treats.

Students at Balboa Elementary in Spokane collected pennies last week for Oklahoma City’s relief efforts.

“We thought we’d do pennies, and that way it wouldn’t seem like it was too much,” said Balboa’s office manager, Venice Sullivan.

“It’s fun to see the kids because they get excited about giving. They brought the money in in plastic buckets and baby carriages.”

Standing against drugs

Several North Side middle school students were recently recognized for their contributions to the fifth annual Teens Against Substance Abuse campaign sponsored by the Spokane Advertising Federation.

An award for excellence in a video public service announcement went to Shaw Middle School students Tim Chau, Michel Gould, Erica Sullivan, Chelsey Wendt and Kyri Watkins. An award for excellence in an audio public service announcement went to Hank Smith of Shaw.

Merit awards for billboard advertisements went to Salk Middle School’s Kristen Palmer and Rick Cerenzia. An award for excellence for a billboard ad went to Salk’s Marcus Robinette.

A merit award for a print campaign went to Glover Middle School’s Jerry Turner, Donnie Delano and Pima Skrobko. A merit award for a written editorials went to Shaw’s Shalynn Blaney.

An award of excellence for an editorial went to Leah Tieman of Shaw.

Skater places second

Assumption Catholic School’s Kim Ryan placed second in an ice-skating competition at Riverfront Park a few weeks ago.

She began skating with the Lilac City Figure Skating Club 18 months ago.

She is training for an ice show at the Eagles Ice Arena in early June.

MEMO: Education Notebook is a regular feature of the North Side Voice. If you have news about an interesting program or activity at a North Side school or about the achievements of North Side students, teachers or school staff, please let us know. Write: Education Notebook, North Side Voice, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210. Call: 459-5484. Fax: 459-5482.