programs
2019 Education Grants Funded
Statewide Agriculture Organization
Maine School Garden Network - Michell Erhard, Director
Maine School Garden Network seeks to deepen their connections in the vast communities of Maine, bringing their in-person Resource Rallies across the state, ensuring all regions with educational gardens feel connected with the organization, other school gardens, and overall, the resources and support they need to thrive.
Healthy Communities of the Capital Area - Stephanie Cesario, Gardiner
The 2019 Conference will convene over 150 Farm to School practitioners to network and share resources. The conference will provide cross-sector and skill-based workshops about local agriculture, school gardens, and local food procurement. Grant funds will support an organizing team, presenters, facilities, and other conference expenses.
Maine 4-H Foundation - Viña Lindley, Orono
The 4-H Smoothie Bike is a fun and interactive teaching tool used to get students excited about trying locally grown foods while also promoting concepts of healthy living like physical activity. The bike will be used to engage students attending events like fairs, school functions and 4-H events such as Maine 4-H Days, 4-H at UMaine and more!
Agriculture Leadership
Maine FFA Association - Doug Robertson, Augusta
Since 1930, Maine FFA has helped thousands of students to advance as leaders in agriculture. This year's project supports July 2019 participation by Maine's student officer delegates in the national State Officer Summit, part of the leadership continuum that prepares them to serve nearly 400 Maine FFA members.
Presque Isle Regional Career and Technical Center - Vicki McCurry, Presque Isle
Students from the Presque Isle chapter of FFA will travel to the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana. The team will compete in the Horse Evaluation Career Development Event and will participate in available Career Success Tours. They will attend the rodeo event and the featured concert.
Ashland District School - Janet Perry, Ashland
Ashland FFA continues to learn about agriculture outside the traditional classroom setting by taking students to Eastern States Exposition, “The Big E & Beyond” in West Springfield, MA. At the “Big E,” students will compete in career Development Events with FFA members from northeastern states and will also tour agricultural businesses and educational sites.
Easton Junior Senior High School - Kevin Marquis, Easton
The Easton FFA will be taking students on the annual fall educational excursion during harvest break. Plans include visiting the Downeast area to concentrate on the wild blueberry, fishing, and other related industries. There will also be visits to various historic sites in the area to enrich students' cultural understanding.
Mars Hill Junior High FFA - Whitney Williams, Mars Hill
Mars Hill Junior High FFA members, while active in their home chapter and agricultural education program, have little opportunity for travel and competition. Many of the Career Development Events at the Maine FFA State Convention, however, are students' first exposure to skills and knowledge necessary to become leaders within the agricultural community.
Maine FFA Alumni Association/Aroostook Regional FFA Alumni - Darick Williams, Presque Isle
"Maine FFA Alumni and State Officer Awareness" is intended to introduce all high school senior FFA members to the Maine FFA Alumni Association, enroll them into membership, and to produce various publications geared to outreach in the Association.
Agriculture Awareness $1,000
Cumberland Farmers Club - Carolyn Small, Cumberland
This is an in-classroom program teaching students and staff about Maine maple syrup. The objective is to teach about Maine maple syrup, where it comes from, how it is gathered, how it is processed, and its impact on the agricultural economy in Maine.
Thomaston Grammar School - Lynn Snow, Thomaston
This grant money will be used to introduce fifth grade students to the concepts and practices of growing food in water. Students will go on field trips, benefit from guest speakers, and use lessons from the National Agriculture in the Classroom curriculum matrix focused on aquaponics, hydroponics, and aquaculture.
MSAD 72 - Christina Littlefield, Fryeburg
The program operates on a two-year cycle, first year focus is plant science and the following year animal science. Field trips to host farms allow students to view and participate in Ag practices and grow their understanding of food and the social/economic impacts of agriculture on our society.
Amanda C. Rowe School - Sarah Swenson, Portland
Through this project two Pre-K classrooms of students, seventy percent who are economically disadvantaged, will have the opportunity to visit local farms and businesses where they will learn about local agricultural products and how they were produced. Upon returning to classrooms students will participate in a variety of cooking experiences to produce healthy recipes featuring Maine agricultural items such as maple syrup, honey, milk, eggs, etc.
North Berwick Elementary - Danae Secunde, North Berwick
First graders at North Berwick Elementary are buzzing about plants! All year they will discover the plant life cycle, observe plants in nature, and grow their own pumpkins in a pumpkin patch! Additionally, they will understand the economic factors of buying versus growing plants and finally create their own seed model.
Messalonskee High School - Elizabeth Prelgovisk, Oakland
The Blueberry Health Nutrition in the Classroom Project is an awareness program that will explore the nutritional importance of blueberries, Maine's wild blueberry crop, and growing a cultivated crop for home use. Teaching students how to grow their own food is essential.
Burchard A. Dunn Elementary School - Martha Gill, New Gloucester
In Pre-K, everything is new, exciting and learning a big vocabulary word like agriculture makes you a genius!! Learning about Maine agriculture from books is wonderful, but experiencing agriculture at several farms, the beach, and by hatching ducks is incredible! This grant lets us bring the books to life!
Maine Association of Family and Consumer Sciences - Leslie Forstadt, Limerick
The Maine Association of Family and Consumer Sciences partnered with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension 4-H to create lessons about careers in the food system. This project uses video and activities for engagement in the classroom and informal settings to be shared statewide.
Ralph M. Atwood Primary School, Jennifer McGee, Oakland
Atwood Primary School's Sensory Garden Awareness Grant Project will promote student awareness of their five senses while in an outdoor garden setting.
Robert V. Connors Elementary School - Tammy Caron, Lewiston
This project provides second graders access to books of all levels focusing on agricultural topics. In a city with many families living in poverty and a constantly growing immigrant population, these students often lack foundational experiences. This project will bridge the gap and give them an understanding of growing things.
RSU #68 SeDoMoCha - Chris Miller, Dover-Foxcroft
The Eagle's Explorers club at the school would like to upgrade the current aquaponics system and build or purchase a second newer system that can be transported throughout the school easily. The project will introduce students to growth cycles for fish, plants, and how different soils or lack thereof can be used to grow plants year-round.
St. Mary's Nutrition Center - Rebecca Dugan, Lewiston
The LA Farm to School Institute is a training opportunity for Lewiston-Auburn school teams modeled after the Northeast Farm to School Institute. Five teams comprised of 4-6 teachers and school staff will attend a 1.5 day training session in order to develop a farm to school action plan with the help of facilitators and other farm to school experts.
Agriculture Awareness $2,000
Sebago Elementary School - Edward Bridge-Keonigsberg, Sebago
Students will learn about fiber processing by turning raw wool and natural dyes into warm felted woolen shoes they can wear. Felting is an ancient skill that is practical, artistic, and easy to learn. This project meets Next Generation Science Standards and meaningful social studies connections to our neighboring communities.
Etna - Dixmont School - Jane P. Stork, Etna
Funding will allow students to build community connections with local agricultural enterprises. Five to six times throughout the year, students will visit local farmers, participate in farming processes, sample farm products, and gain a better understanding of how each farm is an important food source and integral part of the community.
Knox-Lincoln SWCD - Rebecca Jacobs, Rockport
Fourth grade students in Rockland (South School) and Jefferson (Jefferson Village School) will engage in hands-on agricultural lessons in the classroom each month for 6 months with Farmer Cheryl and will wrap-up the program with a farm field trip in June.
Cape Elizabeth Middle School - Morgan Kerr, Cape Elizabeth
How is Maine's agricultural landscape changing and developing on both land and sea? Students will focus on how aquaculture and emerging agricultural technologies are expanding how food is grown and harvested while changing the face of Maine's food future. Students will meet with professionals in these fields, plan aquaculture projects, and build vertical farm models.
MSAD#51 Cumberland/North Yarmouth Schools - Lynda McCann-Olson, Cumberland
MSAD#51, grade 4-5 students will research agricultural traditions of the Cumberland air in library media class and create block prints with a visiting artist in art class. Prints will be displayed at the Greely Center for the Arts, at the Cumberland Fair, and in an art exchange with sister state Aomori, Japan.
Maine 4-H Foundation - Ryan LeShane, Tenants Harbor
Blueberry Cove 4-H campers will gain life skills through experiential education to create value-added foods using wild Maine Blueberries. During their weeklong camp session, campers ages 8-17, will explore the iconic Maine blueberry through food science labs to create fruit leather, ice cream, pancakes, juice, and more.
School Garden and Greenhouse
Troy Elementary School - Darcy Johnston, Troy
Troy Elementary School would like to install an automatic watering system in the high tunnel and purchase new hoses. The plan is to trench a waterline to the high tunnel and attach a spigot with digital hose end timer and drip tubing so that we can automatically water over the summer months. The high tunnel is already an integral part of the student's learning at the school and summer success will certainly improve this amazing teaching tool!
Winslow High School - Kelly Daigneault, Winslow
Winslow High School has had an underutilized greenhouse for several years now, and it is time for that to change. With this funding opportunity, more students will be exposed to the important lessons found in growing and harvesting your own food, while also supporting the needs of our community.
Mt. Ararat Middle School - John Hawley, Topsham
The aquaponics gardening program at our school just ended its second year. Currently, there are two 3'x6' grow beds being fed by two huge fish tanks. The goal of this project is to have the gardens be productive year-round, not just during the school months or warmer months.
Molly Ockett School - Monica Quinn, Fryeburg
The Garden will grow produce to be used in the deli and for snacks. The Raiders Deli is a successful and popular program where the students plan, shop, and cook lunches, which they offer for sale to staff. The grant will enable students to grow fresh produce from seed to harvest building awareness of where food comes from and encourage eating healthy, locally grown produce.
Kennebec Montessori School - Kyle Ravana, Fairfield
The School is developing a garden space in which the students will learn about ecologically sustainable growing practices. Staff and students are working together to gain and maintain MOFGA Organic Certification, establish and maintain a business relationship with a local restaurant, and begin to work toward Master Gardener Certification.
Alfond Youth & Community Center - Jared McCannell, Waterville
This Garden Program provides a hands-on-learning experience, with raised beds and community gardens that youth in the early childcare, after-school, and summer enrichment programs plant, tend, and harvest. Funding will recondition soil for to provide healthy produce for nutritious meals for youth and families.
Indian Township School - Scout Denning, Indian Township
The school garden, orchard, and pond will be utilized for increased food security, garden based curriculum, and cultural pride at Indian Township School. Our students and staff take pride in seeing the garden flourish and diversity. We emphasize self regulating permaculture principles and organic standards. The garden is by and for the community.
Bangor High School - Michele Benoit, Bangor
Chemistry and biology students and service club members will design, install, and maintain a sustainable food garden using principles of permaculture. They sustain garden soils and nutrients by creating a compost bin that incorporates school food waste. Fruits and vegetables produced will be used for outreach within the school and shared with school families in need.
Millpond Elementary School - Rita Gardiner, Hodgdon
The purpose for our garden project is to provide horticultural education for all students and supplemental food for students in need. Our project is multi-faceted in that we have both a greenhouse and garden, in addition to composting. We strive to provide fresh food for the cafeteria.
Captain Albert Stevens Elementary School - Malia Demers, Belfast
At the Captain Albert Stevens Elementary School, we wish to build an open air, covered outdoor classroom amidst our garden campus. This outdoor classroom would allow more teachers to connect our greenhouse, fruit orchard, and vegetable garden to curriculum, and set teachers and students up for academic success in the outdoors.
Bonny Eagle Middle School - Ethel Atkinson, West Buxton
One person’s food waste is another person’s compost! Our project objective is to turn the food waste of our 850 students into fertile soil for plantings in our greenhouse. Students will design, build, and maintain a composting area for our school and explore the use of gasification to heat our greenhouse.