Providing a variety of produce over a half-acre of land, Allegheny Mountain Institute sponsors their Garden Club for middle school students to learn the basics of harvesting, planting, and seed starting. Between hands-on learning and interacting with kids of various age groups, the students in AMI’s Garden Club are given an opportunity to develop social-emotional skills outside of the classroom.

Ian and Aiden are eighth-grade students in Garden Club and enjoy sampling the produce they grow together, saying they feel a sense of accomplishment through the work they have put into growing the plants. The Garden Club shares their produce throughout Waynesboro to address food insecurity by delivering to food-banks, local preschools, and back-to-school nights.

We spoke with Julia Loman, Allegheny Mountain Institute Farm Manager at Waynesboro Public Schools, for this Hear Together profile. You can listen to the audio link below.