Peachy the Magazine Summer 2019 | Page 77

INSPIRATION “Can anyone explain to me what the phrase ‘cool as a cucumber’ means?” Smith asks the first group of curious third graders. Hands shoot into the air and various definitions are offered. As she places tiny seeds in the hands of these young gardeners, Smith uses this question to engage Brookstone’s students on what gives a cucumber its flavor, how the produce will grow on vines over the next couple months, and the nutritional value of the produce they are plant- ing. A simple question provides these young learners a bevy of information. While she doesn’t consider herself as a gardener, Smith has become the architect of the gardening curriculum, volunteer organizer and resident gardener for Brookstone Schools’ gardens for almost 10 years. Joining as a volunteer with St. Patrick’s Elementary School in 2010, Smith was part of group of parents and students that teamed up with Brookstone Schools to create a community garden at Brookstone’s first location off Westinghouse Boulevard. Friendship and valuable learning opportunities inside and outside of the classroom were the products of the first garden. The initial, robust partnership between St. Patrick’s School and Brookstone Schools has been the product of thoughtful cultivation. After a success- ful first year of partnering, from which friendships blossomed between St. Patrick’s and Brookstone students, St. Patrick’s PTO received a “Front Porch” grant from The Foundation For The Carolinas to transport students from one school to the other. SUMMER 2019 75