Vernon’s Skinner Road School Marks Farm to School Day with Bees and Lettuce Grown by Students
Wednesday was an extra special day at Skinner Road School Road School in Vernon. It was Farm to School Day and students learned about honey bees and other pollinators with beekeeper Drew Burnett of Drew’s Bees in Norwich, and sampled fresh local produce, including lettuce grown by the Skinner Road School garden club.
The day and the garden club's contribution were part of the Pollinators and Gardens project, which is funded by a CT Grown for CT Kids great from the Connecticut Department of Agriculture.
Burnett even brought along bees for students to check out. They asked lots of questions.
For lunch Wednesday students enjoyed fresh strawberries from nearby Dzen Farms, watermelon, corn on the cob, crispy chicken sandwiches and a special treat of salad with lettuce grown the garden club.
Skinner Road students grew romaine lettuce in their greenhouse. Cafeteria staff mixed the romaine with hydroponic lettuce from Levo International in Bloomfield. And the salad was dressed with a pear vinaigrette the Garden Club members made from Drew’s honey, red wine vinegar, mustard, pepper and pear juice.
Kaylee Carlisle, the Vernon Public Schools Farm to School Coordinator, and Abby DuBois of the Put Local on Your Tray program from UConn Extension, handed the salads to kids and most took them and liked them. And Elizabeth Fisher, the Director of Food and Nutrition for the Vernon Public Schools, handed out fresh, plump strawberries to children who brought their lunch to school to ensure all students got to enjoy the strawberries.
It was a big thrill for the Garden Club members to have their fellow students eat the lettuce they grew.
“They are super excited about it,” said Alanna Colson, a school psychologist at Skinner Road and the Garden Club advisor. The students would water the lettuce twice a day, then got to go into the cafeteria kitchen to make the dressing they served.