DHS teacher Chris Billingsley sends in an announcement from the new Youth Programs Manager at the Oakhurst Community Garden, Myriam Van Dorp, announcing a four-part Farm-to-School workshop for 28 City Schools of Decatur employees.

Here are some of the details from the note…

The overall goal of the workshop series is to empower and inspire CSD employees to incorporate Farm to School concepts into their daily, standards-based instruction, as well as introduce them to community resources.

The workshops will include food, farm and nutrition lesson plans, hands-on cooking and taste testing activities, and in-depth organic gardening practices. The workshop series will provide training and resources for teachers to use while designing experiences that integrate Farm to School into classroom learning.

These experiences will be compiled into a Farm to School resource guide that can inspire others.

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At it’s most recent meeting, the Decatur School Board unanimously approved the extensive Farm-to-School action plan.  In an email to the community, CSD explains what committing to this plan will mean when you get down to brass tacks.

Initial plans for the Decatur Farm to School Program include:

• Edible school gardens, planted and maintained by students, teachers, parents, school staff and community members
• An increase in the number and types of fresh, local foods served in schools
• Integrated curriculum resources to leverage learning around nutrition, science, biology, math, social sciences, and local community resources
• Farm field trips and farm education that explore local economics, biological systems, local environmental issues and the holistic connection that links food, health, and the environment
• Hands on food preparation and taste-tests featuring fresh, local foods and local chefs

Michael Wall at Georgia Organics posted this video of CSD’s “nutrition staff” taking a cooking class on working with more local and organic products at Cook’s Warehouse in Decatur. [h/t:Decaturfm via Twitter]

This class is just one of many steps in the Farm to School program’s aggressive strategic plan to improve school nutrition in Decatur’s schools by incorporating more local, natural foods in school lunches.  The full Strategic Plan and its many, many steps can be viewed as part of the School Board’s agenda for next week, when they will vote on its approval.

Following up on my post yesterday, Michael forwards info about tonight’s “Farm to School” town hall meeting from 6p-8p at Westchester.

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