The Greater Good. Executive Director Suzie Hanson asked “what are private schools doing, or can do in the weeks and months ahead, to support the greater community during this time of crisis?” Below is the story and photos Erin Hart of Three Rivers Christian School in Longview shared.
'a little bit of happy' from Erin Hart & Three Rivers Christian School
I had to come into school today for a short time, and I took a walk around the grounds for a break. Since agriculture has been deemed an “essential service,” our maintenance staff and volunteers have been working on the urban farm individually and using social distancing. Lower Columbia School Gardens is going to use part of our pumpkin fields to grow crops for the community and food bank. I added some pictures of the bark truck dumping bark for the paths. (Everything is organic, so they use the bark for weed suppression between rows.)
The chickens arrived today for the first coop! We’re going to share updates with the students in our Facebook groups. The chickens won’t be big enough to handle for another month or two, so we thought this was a good time to have them fostered until they’re ready for the coop at school. Agriculture classes are still happening online with seeds being mailed home and students watching chicken videos from their Chromebooks. By late summer, we should have 15 laying hens in the school coop.
The greenhouse is BUSTING with seedlings and flower baskets. Last year 14,000 plants came out of here, but I think this year they’ll break that record. Lower Columbia School Gardens and the WSU Extension are both in heavy planting mode. The school gardens is going to be making patio gardens that they will distribute to students throughout the region so they tend them at home.
The sixth graders pruned the orchard right before we closed campus, but the fruit trees just finished blooming and are getting ready to set fruit. We also just purchased 8 blueberry “trees” (they’re 9 feet tall) from a farm in Vancouver, so we just transplanted them (with our new tractor) and we’re hoping they take to their new home!
Our new goat house was delivered and got a coat of water-seal… so weed-eating goats should be trimming the other fields and fertilizing soon. : )
As a side note: I’m so grateful for WFIS over this past year. What you’re doing is so incredibly important for our missions. Please let me know if I can help in any way!
Stay well!
Erin