{"id":15334,"date":"2026-07-09T15:51:32","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T19:51:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/?p=15334"},"modified":"2026-07-09T15:51:32","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T19:51:32","slug":"newtown-elementary-garden-grows-learning-and-community-spirit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/newtown-elementary-garden-grows-learning-and-community-spirit\/","title":{"rendered":"Newtown Elementary garden grows learning and community spirit"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Kevin Rickard and volunteer Cameron Rollins<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sultry summer is a hot time for volunteering at Newton Elementary School\u2019s garden.<\/p>\n

Dozens of folks from nearby neighborhoods are showing up every other week for Tilling and Tending Tuesdays. It\u2019s a friendly, multicultural affair open to all ages.<\/p>\n

Volunteers get to take home fresh veggies and herbs. That means cabbage, collard greens, peppers, tomatoes, celery, turnips, spinach, sage and a whole lot more. Some of the vegetables \u2013 including a harvest of 100 banana sweet peppers \u2013 are served up in the cafeteria during the school year, part of the division\u2019s many efforts<\/a> to put locally grown food on the school menu.<\/p>\n

Kevin Rickard, Newtown\u2019s Instructional Technology Specialist, publicizes the latest garden news on Facebook and the Nextdoor neighborhood platform.<\/p>\n

A Virginia Beach Education Foundation<\/a> grant helped sprout the garden in 2015, thanks to former Newtown teacher Amanda Howse. Rickard brought his experience growing up in rural Arkansas and starting the garden at his former school, Seatack Elementary – An Achievable Dream Academy.<\/p>\n

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Lylah Celorrio and her mom, Becca Celorrio<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He loves it when his students point to food on their cafeteria trays and say, \u201cLook, this comes from the garden!\u201d They\u2019ve discovered that the broccoli they\u2019ve grown themselves \u2014 well, it tastes pretty good.<\/p>\n

Yusuf Hornung attends a private school in Norfolk, but likes riding his bike to Newtown for Tilling Tuesdays.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like doing something productive,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Jeanie Lawson brings her family to volunteer at the garden.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important that kids learn how to grow food,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019m glad to help out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carol Johnson started volunteering about 11 years ago as part of the Sons of Norway<\/a> organization.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring the school year, we have an after-school garden club and the kids are learning a lot,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was very exciting when we got the raspberries and blackberries going.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>A local conservation horticulturalist is helping the school turn its butterfly garden into a native plant pollinator garden.<\/p>\n

Cameron Rollins said he volunteers to pass on something positive to the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m looking for gardening tips,\u201d he added. \u201cThat\u2019s why I\u2019m here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mikelle Williams said that since becoming Newtown\u2019s principal, he watched the garden grow from a small learning space into a centerpiece of our school community.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks to Mr. Rickard’s vision, passion, and dedication, the program has become an incredible learning experience for our students and families,\u201d Williams said. \u201cAs the garden has flourished, so have the opportunities for our students.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those opportunities include Rickard having students observe the repeating patterns of the garden\u2019s picket fence, measure the garden beds and plant seeds 6 inches apart. They take the temperature of the compost pile and the soil.<\/p>\n

Students were curious about what was going on in the garden at night, so Rickard set up a camera to capture visits from foxes, racoons and other nocturnal wildlife.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are learning where healthy food comes from, enjoying fresh produce in cafeteria salads, and experiencing hands-on lessons that simply can’t be replicated in a classroom,\u201d Williams said. \u201cOur school garden is more than a place where things grow\u2014it’s where curiosity, responsibility, healthy habits, and community take root.”<\/p>\n

Want to get involved?<\/strong><\/p>\n