To the Editor:

We would like to call attention to one of Princeton’s unique community assets: thriving school garden programs at all four public elementary schools. Through garden-based learning in many subjects, these programs give our children essential life skills in healthy eating, teamwork, sustainability, and environmental stewardship.

As parents and garden volunteers at Riverside Elementary, we are thankful that our community supports these school garden programs. In particular, we are grateful to all those who made our fourth annual “Healthy Children, Healthy Planet” school garden celebrationon May 17 a resounding success! Riverside’s garden residency, funded by this event, brings all of our children, Pre-K through grade 5, into the school gardens on a regular basis to cultivate, taste, and learn with garden educator Dorothy Mullen. Over 1200 children have experienced garden-based learning at Riverside since 2001!

Our major sponsors, including Church & Dwight, Princeton Lawn & Landscape, Pinneo Construction, Rhone Bryant, BlackRock and the Princeton School Garden Cooperative, make this program possible. Mason Griffin & Pierson, Agricola, The Dogwood Garden Club, McCaffrey’s, Michael Graves Design, and Rambling Pines Day Camp, also provide key support. And what would we do without our most loyal supporter, the Whole Earth Center, which sustains us with food for classroom tastings year after year! Local businesses, such as The Terra Momo Group, The Bent Spoon, Halo Farms, Bagel Barn, Cherry Grove Farm, Kopp’s Cycle, and Ace Hardware, all contributed goods to make our event special. The Supper’s Program, Dr. Holstein, and Drs. Tyl and Fogerty also helped our event. Finally, our school garden would not exist without the vision of Riverside’s principal, Bill Cirullo, and the hard work and wisdom of our garden leader, Dorothy Mullen.

Together we have created beautiful garden classrooms that give our children tools to lead healthier lives. Our challenge going forward is to sustain them and leverage their benefits more fully. Thank you, Princeton, for your support, and let’s keep these important programs growing!

Beth Behrend, Julie Capozzoli

Co-chairs, Healthy Children Healthy Planet 2014