Summer Gardening and flash mobs

It is hard to believe that the school year is over! I had thought that summer would finally allow me some free time for relaxation, but of course with the late arrival of eastern Oregon’s growing season, it is all I can do to keep up with the garden. Rows of cabbage and broccoli expand outward, potatoes leaves creep up through the mulch, and squash plants emerge from the edge of every garden bed, pathway and unused corner. Weeds spring up everywhere. During free moments I munch on green beans from the greenhouse and I have even tasted the first of our (glorious) broccoli crop. I’ve found a nearly full-grown kohlrabi among the cabbage, although I could have sworn we didn’t have any seeds until recently. Unsuspecting students walking by the garden are sent away with bags of enormous spicy radishes and instructions to return for more tomorrow. Thanks to a happy accident, the compost pile is growing literally hundreds of pumpkin sprouts. Kindergarten help in the garden earlier in the year now surprises me daily with sunflowers popping up in unexpected places, and thanks to first grade nasturtiums and marigolds attract pollinators with their blooms. Today it is only a heavy, ceaseless rain that keeps my hands from the soil.

Although I was not sure I would enjoy working long hours in the garden without students, I have found it to be a wonderful opportunity for thought. Weeding offers endless hours for reflecting, planning, and maintaining my farmer’s tan.

Because things have been so busy, I have not had time to share much about one of my favorite activities to take place at this school this past year. 

In December, I helped North Powder’s 5^th grade class write and perform a flash mob in the cafeteria during lunch time for Dole Fruit’s annual Flash Mob contest. These students took this project very seriously, and spent hours writing lyrics, rewriting lyrics, and coordinating the performance. On a regular Wednesday when the elementary students sat down with their lunches, 5^th grade spontaneously stood up and sang about healthy fruits to the tune of Queen’s “We Will Rock You.” The video we made does not adequately capture our students’ surprise as their peers interrupted a normally quiet meal with clapping, stomping and singing. 

Watch our flash mob video!

5th grade, flaunting their money and fruit cups!

We submitted the video to Dole Fruit, and this spring learned that North Powder won First Prize! Thanks to 5^th grade, we added $500 to the Farm to School bank account and 10 cases of fruit cups to the lunch line! See the Grand Prize winner’s video on Dole’s website (I do have to point out that it is not a real “flash mob”): Dole Fruit Flash Mob Contest winners. 

This project was so much fun I have recommended that it become part of the 5^th grade curriculum, facilitated by the FoodCorps service member (and of course their phenomenal teacher!)