RACINE — Three middle-schoolers helped Jerstad-Agerholm K-8 School receive a grant to start a community garden next year.
The Character Playbook Community Impact Grant from the Green Bay Packers and Brown County United Way is worth up to $500, according to a news release. Jerstad-Agerholm was one of 13 Wisconsin middle schools chosen for the annual grant, which the Packers started in 2020.
Sixth-graders Makayla Wise, Jerzie Williams and Andres Diaz presented their community garden idea to the Packers organization.
“The judges appreciated Jerstad’s attention to detail, creativity and passion to learn new life skills and give back to the community,” Amanda Wery, Packers community outreach manager, wrote in an email.
The community garden will be part of a sixth grade seminar class but is also open to other Jerstad-Agerholm students and staff. Jerstad-Agerholm teachers Cristina Soria and Brandon Tristano are the project supervisors.
The grant will help fund the Jerstad Community Garden that will teach students how to grow fruits and vegetables. The garden is not presently planned to be part of the Racine Urban Garden Network.
Students will plant seeds in January and eventually transfer them to an outdoor garden. Once the produce is ready for consumption, it will be given to a local food bank or individuals connected with Jerstad-Agerholm could receive some of the fruits and vegetables.
12 photos: Kids help plant native plants outside of Racine Public Library Friday
Jerstad-Agerholm students, under instruction of GLCCC crew volunteer Saeveeon Mosby (fluorescent yellow jacket) and Wisconsin Sea Grant Fellow Lydia Salus (red beanie), learn the the difference between native and invasive plants as well as how to measure the density of both plants on the dunes of North Beach in November 2021.