News Release
Homer CCSD 33C
Goodings Grove Luther J. Schilling William E. Young William J. Butler
Hadley Middle Homer Jr. High
Contact: Charla Brautigam, Communications/Public Relations Manager
cbrautigam@homerschools.org | 708-226-7628
For Immediate Release:
March 8, 2016
Young School students “dig” their new garden pals in Uganda
A fourth-grade class at Young School has been selected to participate in a Global Garden Exchange program and will be sharing gardening ideas and techniques with students in Uganda.
“We’re very excited to get started on our project,” said fourth-grade teacher Karen Kraynak, whose class was selected to participate in the project last month.
She plans to have students use their measurement, problem-solving and research skills to grow fruits and vegetables from seed and share their progress with fourth- and fifth-grade students at St. Peter’s Mateete Primary School in Uganda.
Young School was paired with the “sister school” by Slow Food USA, a global, grassroots organization that practices small-scale and sustainable production of quality food around the world.
The goal is to reconnect youth with their food by teaching them how to grow, cook and enjoy real food.
Students will be emailing each other, sharing information about their growing seasons and photos of their gardens.
Young School was selected for the exchange program because it grows fresh fruits and vegetables in raised garden beds behind the school.
The Young Sprouts Grow and Learn Garden was initiated last school year with the help of a Will County grant and represents a collaboration between the county, Regional Office of Education and Homer Community Consolidated School District 33C.
Students plant everything from peas and cucumbers to strawberries and tend to them while learning about seed growth in their science units. The “fruits of their labor” are then donated to local food pantries and churches.
“This is a great opportunity for our students to learn about another culture, practice their communication skills and meet children from a different part of the world,” said Principal Mike Szopinski. “I believe this global exchange will enrich the lives of our students. I am very excited about this wonderful opportunity for our students. I thank Mrs. Kraynak for her hard work and dedication to providing valuable, memorable and meaningful education experiences for our students.”
Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/homer33c?fref=ts&ref=br_tf
