Members of the Kendall Elementary School-based 4-H Club and Kendall Elementary students joined forces Friday morning, June 7, to plant a school orchard. The community service project is a joint effort between the school and the school-based 4-H club, which meets regularly during the school year and includes students in grades three through six.
“We proposed the idea to Sharon Smith, Kendall Elementary School Principal, last year, and she enthusiastically supported the project,” says Kristina Gabalski, Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension 4-H program coordinator. “School orchards provide educational and nutritional benefits to students by providing a place to learn about nature, grow plants and produce food. The orchard at Kendall Elementary will be a living classroom and laboratory where students can study everything from botany to nature’s cycles to art, as well as relax and be refreshed by its beauty.”
The Kendall Elementary School orchard is located just outside the south wing of the school where it will be easy for students to access as well as care for the planting. “The spot will also provide some protection from wind and receive lots of sun all year,” Gabalski says. The orchard includes six trees: two Enterprise apples (a modern disease resistant variety); two Northern Spy apples (a heritage variety); one Blake’s Pride pear, and one Stanley plum.
The fruit trees were generously donated by Sara’s Garden Center in Brockport, Gabalski says. “Sara’s has enthusiastically supported this project and we are so grateful. Kathy Kepler provided guidance in selecting the varieties which would work best for us.” Additionally, Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension received a $500 grant from Gro More Grassroots Grants presented by Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation and KidsGardening. Grant funds were used to purchase garden tools, mulch and additional supplies for the orchard, Gabalski says.
Kendall Elementary Principal Sharon Smith says she foresees the orchard having a prominent place in the Kendall community for generations to come. “The more children we involve in this, and the more families in the community who become involved in this, will mean that this orchard is valued and protected for many decades,” she says. “Students will take these skills and this love back home and apply it in their own gardens with their own families, and eventually with their own children as adults.”
Kristina Gabalski says she would also like to acknowledge the support and help of Dan Brundage, Kendall Elementary Buildings and Grounds Manager, and his staff for their guidance and enthusiasm in making the orchard a reality. “We have an amazing relationship between Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension, our 4-H program, and Kendall Elementary,” she says. “It is so exciting to be able to work together on projects like this that enhance and quality of life in our community and enrich the educational experience of students.”
Provided information and photos
