Clare-Gladwin Area School awarded grant to create a garden at the John C. Magnus Center

 Throughout the 2014-2015 school year, the 
Construction Trades students from the 
Clare-Gladwin Career Center 
have renovated Verna's House to make
 it handicapped accessible for the
 Clare-Gladwin Area School students 
to use next school year. 

The Lowe’s Charitable and Education Foundation (LCEF) has awarded the Clare-Gladwin Area School the Lowe’s Toolbox for Education grant in the amount of $4,120 to create a garden at Verna’s House – the home located on the property of the John C. Magnus Center, owned by Clare-Gladwin RESD. The grant was secured by Vicki Longnecker, an Area School paraeducator and job coach.

Beginning in the fall of 2015, the school will be using Verna’s House for students to practice daily living skills such as cooking, cleaning, meal planning, and budgeting. The garden project will not only enhance the development of those skills, but it will also integrate elements of the Common Core Curriculum. Students will be using math and science to plot the layout of the garden and calculate the number of plants and seedlings needed. Students will also be researching various vegetables and the effects the weather pattern has on certain crops.

According to Longnecker, an additional benefit of the garden will be the opportunity to give back to the community. “The students will be donating some of the food from the garden to the local food pantries and will be inviting members of the local communities to help with the gardens,” she said. “Planting a garden, producing a crop, and sharing the rewards of their work with others will give these children a great sense of accomplishment. What better way is there to teach a sense of community while supporting independence than to grow your own food to share?”

The Clare-Gladwin Area School is a program of Clare-Gladwin RESD.