GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) – The sixth grade National Honor Society students at Bel-Aire Elementary School have spent the last six weeks starting radishes, tomatoes, cucumbers, and much more.

Their teacher, Bridget Woodeard, hopes this project kick-starts her dream of a long-term garden club at the school.

“I’m looking forward to not only going with this part but also expanding to be a permanent part of Bel-Aire,” Woodeard said. “And then it would be good for the food program during the summer. And like I mentioned earlier about 4H club, I would like to get the ball rolling on all of that.”

Bel-Aire partnered with Mississippi State University’s “Happy Healthy Schools” program.

Community Wellness Planner Jenna Quave says these school partnerships are important to teach kids where their food comes from.

“Not everyone knows that it just doesn’t show up at the grocery store,” Quave explained. “So getting them on the ground level, starting the seeds, and getting their hands in the dirt, they can really connect the dots between seeds and table.”

Along with starting the plants, the students were able to build raised beds to transfer their starter plants to an outside garden.

Honors student Sophia Oliva says the best part was learning about the importance of healthy eating.

“I learned to make sure since you’re a teenager there are three categories you should be eating,” Oliva said. “There’s calcium, folic acid, and iron. Those are important for us to grow so whenever we’re older, we’ll be more healthy and strong.”

Quave says the plants will be ready for harvest by the time school lets out in May.

Once harvested, the students will be able to taste the fruits of their labor in dishes made by the school’s cafeteria staff.

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