Burke County Georgia is a predominantly agricultural community. District leadership wants to celebrate that and seamlessly incorporate agriculture and garden-based educational opportunities into instructional time for all students. The middle school is working towards achieving STEAM certification, and a FoodCorps member could play a vital role in not only assisting teachers with lesson plan ideas, but also in getting primary school students involved in STEAM-based learning at a younger age. Waynesboro Primary School: This is an exciting time for a FoodCorps member to join!

WPS is planning to build garden beds this year. Their teachers are driven to provide their students with hands-on education, and the gardens are an excellent place for all children to learn. The FoodCorps member would be hands-on with the outdoor garden education and the existing 5 Tower Gardens in classrooms throughout the school. This provides an opportunity for cafeteria taste tests using items grown by students as well as from local farmers. The FoodCorps member will also be trained to use the Charlie Cart, a mobile cooking cart used to provide education-based, hands-on nutrition lessons that will spend time at Waynesboro Primary School.

The FoodCorps member will have his/her own classroom in which they can hold classes and it will also act as an office space also. Waynesboro Primary School and Burke County Middle School have a relationship that the FoodCorps member will help to foster. Teachers in each school are currently taking courses in STEAM education with a desire to incorporate those practices into their classrooms. Additionally, the two schools partner each year for educational garden-based events; the FoodCorps member will play a role in this programming. The outdoor garden beds at the middle school provide an ideal opportunity for students to get their hands dirty and learn exactly where our food comes from. With the assistance of a FoodCorps member, students can plan the gardens, plant the gardens, harvest the gardens and create Charlie Cart Lesson plans to use with the garden harvest. FoodCorps members can create a seamless transition from the classroom to outdoor space and provide teachers and students with the resources necessary to be successful.

In collaboration with site partners, FoodCorps Georgia serves over a dozen schools, reaching more than 1000 students with hands-on experiences in gardening, nutrition, and food preparation. With a presence in a diverse set of environments, Service Members are impacting urban and rural communities across the state. There?s a place for everyone. Join FoodCorps to serve up change with a cohort of food justice leaders and a network of community-centered changemakers!