Oakland High School IB (International Baccalaureate) students Miki Yang, Robert Giddens, and Mia Huell saw a need to improve student access to fresh fruits and vegetables and have taken steps to make that happen. The three students began in January with a proposal to their teachers at Oakland through the IB program CAS project (creativity, activity, service), which is a student designed component of the IB program at the school.

With grants from Tennessee Farm Bureau and donations of materials, seeds, and soil from Murfreesboro/Smyrna Home Depot, and Valley Growers, the students have coordinated a school and community wide effort to design, build, install and plant a community garden at Oakland High School. The students also enlisted help on their own campus from students in the OHS Construction department to build raised bed boxes. Rutherford County 4H/Master Gardner program provided instruction and assistance with proper planting and care for the garden. Oakland IB, Agriculture, and Special Education classes will maintain and harvest the produce to be sold in an on-campus farmers' market for students and staff.

The students involved in the project hope that this program will not only provide fresh fruits and vegetables to their fellow students, but also inspire other schools to do the same.

For more information on the OHS IB CAS program, please contact Carissa Clark at Oakland High School (clarkca@rcschools.net)