School garden moves to high school grounds

The Whitefish School Board Feb. 12 approved the relocation of a garden used for school projects to its property south of high school.

The school food service program, Whitefish Lion’s Club and City of Whitefish requested the use of land on the northeast corner of East Seventh Street and Pine Street for the garden. Previously the garden was located next to the Don K car dealership, but that land is no longer available, according to middle school principal Josh Branstetter.

The garden, known as the Farm to School garden, is a 3-year-old project started by the Lion’s Club. The service club uses the garden has their major project and maintains the garden through the summer. During the fall, students from the middle school harvest the produce which is used in the school district food program.

“This project has been a valuable resource for not only the seventh and eighth grade students to learn about planting and harvesting, but also the free produce donated to the lunch program,” Branstetter said.

The garden is expected to be 120 feet by 120 feet is size and located on the area known as the “rock pile.”

The Lion’s Club has committed to fencing the area with the existing baseball diamond fence at the spot, prepare the soil, run irrigation line and maintaining the area.

The City of Whitefish plans to help clean up the area by aiding in the removal of the dugouts and preparation of the soil.

The city parks and recreation summer program is interested in helping out with the project and helping with maintaining the garden during the summer months when school is not in session, according to Branstetter.

“There are numerous advantages to moving the garden site to school grounds,” Branstetter said. “Not only will the proximity allow for more student involvement at the K-12 level, it will also showcase the district’s interest in working with local businesses, clubs and the city to promote valuable hands on education.”