May 28, 2015

Fertilized by the Patton Project Gardens, the Charles F. Patton Middle School is continuing to cultivate national recognition – along with a plethora of fresh produce.

On Wednesday, May 27, a representative from the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) visited the school to announce that Patton is the first school in Pennsylvania to achieve the NWF’s prestigious Green Flag award.

Kim Martinez, NWF’s regional education manager for the Mid-Atlantic Regional Center located in Annapolis, Md., made the presentation of the flag. Martinez brought two other visitors, Lori Braunstein, president of Pennsylvania Green and Healthy Schools Partnership, and Heidi Kunka, an energy program specialist from Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection, to tour Patton’s gardens.

The women heard from the project’s creators, teachers Betsy Ballard and Kim Hisler, and a group of students in their Family and Consumer Science (FCS) classes. The visitors learned about how the program has grown, how it is making a difference, and how it has prompted other sustainability practices at the school, Ballard said.

To maintain the Green Flag recognition, Patton must renew its application every two years. The process involves meeting a lengthy list of requirements, such as an annual environmental audit, an Eco-Action Team, and community involvement, according to the NWF website. After receiving the Green Flag four times, Patton would become a permanent Green Flag school.

Ballard and Hisler said they are thrilled with the latest recognition, especially because it will facilitate “outreach to even more schools.”

Last month, the U.S. Department of Education announced that Patton was one of only 58 schools in the country to receive the 2015 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools award. Patton received the recognition for reducing its environmental impact, improving its energy efficiency, promoting the health of students and staff, and teaching effective environmental and sustainability education.

In March, the Patton Project Gardens was honored with a national Magna Award at the Best Practices for School Leaders Luncheon in Nashville, Tenn. Patton was one of five first-place winners in the under-5,000 enrollment category.

The project traces its roots to 2010, when Ballard and Hisler began musing about the benefits of such an initiative. The pair channeled all available energy and resources, launching the project with a greenhouse and 16 raised beds.

Since then, the Patton Project Gardens has produced more than 6,000 pounds of produce for the Chester County Food Bank, increased its raised beds to 30, and expanded its student-centered programs. Utilizing grants and donations, the project has also spawned solar panels, an outdoor classroom with a pergola, three hydroponic tanks, and two 30-foot-long high tunnels for extending the harvest. Ballard and Hisler said more additions are planned.

Students can participate in multiple ways, its creators said. In addition to taking the hands-on FCS elective in middle school, they also have opportunities to contribute through Honor Society or other service groups, or to volunteer with their families during Adopt-a-Bed, which involves tending a bed for a week each summer.