The Vanguard Farm to School Program was created to encourage our students to make healthier choices with their food options and promote a generation of active citizens that can in-turn change the direction of Marion County. By providing students with locally fresh-grown produce and hands-on education, the students gain interest and an appetite for the crops they've grown; this has been proven over
and over again in multiple Farm to School Programs throughout the country. By creating school gardens, students are offered many educational components that reinforce Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, (STEM) and Literacy concepts that students are learning in the classroom. OUR STUDENTS:
Here at Vanguard, we strive to create a positive growing environment, not just for our plants, but for our students, too! At the beginning of the 2015-2016 school year, we decided that we wanted to implement a Farm to School program to help our Exceptional Student Education (ESE) students and our agriscience students better themselves through healthier eating, which in-turn results in better learning. Along with this, we wanted our students to develop skills and competencies that will help them find careers within the industry and success with education. Since the start of our program, we have been able to add-on two certifications that students may obtain prior to graduation: the ServSafe Restaurant Management Certification and the Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscaping Association (FNGLA) Certification. As you are probably aware, it is extremely difficult for individuals with disabilities to find jobs that can lead to a career. It's even more difficult to find a career offering these individuals with benefits to survive. We are using our program as an avenue these students can use to gain skills in the restaurant and horticultural industry, and with our assistance, help them find jobs. OUR PROGRAM:
Our program offers the students of Vanguard High a unique way to comprehend concepts in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM), and Literacy by providing them with some of the latest technologies in horticulture and food productions systems. Currently our program houses a variety of hydroponic systems from industry grade systems to Do-It-Yourself home made structures. Our students are gaining hands-on operational skills and discovering new ways to create more food, using fewer natural resources. By understanding the concepts of hydroponics, students are able to develop new ways to grow food faster and safer to their student body. OUR COMMUNITY:
According to the 2015 Marion County Community Health Assessment conducted by the Center for Disease Control, the state of Florida is below the national average line for adult obesity rates, however, Marion County has the highest adult obesity rate in the state and is well above the national average. Our goal, through the Farm to School Program, is to develop EDUCATED LEADERS that will guide our younger generations and convince our older generations to choose to be healthier and more active, and to increase our local economy by supporting our local farmers and growers. Farm to School programs all across the country have moved forward with this initiative and have seen great success; finally, Marion County has hopped on board!
