36 JANUARY 2018 Arc A d A News By Megan Forrester Fifth graders eating curry is not an everyday experience at most schools, but it is one of the amazing opportunities that students at Echo Canyon School have in their garden program. This program, headed by University of Arizona master gardener Lou Rodarte helps the students not only plant seeds and a majority of edibles, but also teaches them about the importance of soil as well as the key aspects that allow a garden to thrive. “This program gives the kids the opportunity to understand where their food comes from, taste different foods that are fresh from the garden, and to expand their knowledge and appreciation of different foods,” Rodarte says. Since the students plant mainly edibles, when those plants are ready for harvest, Rodarte’s wife, Ann, welcome chefs from all across the Valley to come to the school and teach the students how to make a dish with the fruits and vegetables that they have grown in the garden. The students have made countless dishes, including a chocolate lavender cake with Chef Vincent Guerithault from Vincent’s on Camelback, as well as curry with broccoli and squash with Chef Charleen Badman from FnB in Scottsdale. “All of these kids tasted the food [curry] and all of them liked the food,” Rodarte says. “These kids have been through this program for about five years now, so they are in a position where it is not unusual for them to try new foods and to try something different. That was a really enjoyable moment to see those kids trying this food without any hesitation.” The principal of Echo Canyon School, Kat Hughes, is immensely impressed with the program and its benefits to students. “We can use the garden as an outdoor learning space for students and allow them to connect what they are learning in the classroom to real world situations in the garden,” Hughes says. As for the future, Hughes is aiming to turn the garden program into a nationally recognized school garden. “Part of our goal right now is to maintain what we are doing in the garden, but really working with our district office curriculum department in the science area and really using our garden to supplement our science lessons and getting those down on paper so that they can be replicated elsewhere, which is one of the key tenants of a nationally recognized program,” Hughes says. Both Rodarte and Hughes have the same hopes for the students in the program: Not only do they learn to have a healthy lifestyle, but also learn the impact of this program on how they should live their lives. “I hope it [the garden] helps them to understand patience. Things are instant in this world. So I’m hoping it helps them to really get a grasp that there are things in this world that take time and are worth the time,” says Hughes. “The fruits of your labor when you take your time can be really yummy.” Echo Canyon School program turns students into gardeners/chefs Students at Echo Canyon are taught how to plant and take care of their gardens. HAPPY NEW YEAR! RESOLVE TO REPLACE OLD EQUIPMENT. CELEBRATING 24 YEARS! Desert Rain • by Eileen Johnson • acrylic on canvas • 30” x 40” x 1.5” Representing students of Arizona universities, community colleges and high schools, as well as other emerging Arizona artists since 1993. 480.946.5076 . artonegalleryinc.com . 4130 n marshall way . scottsdale

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