On Tuesday, Mala‘ai: The Culinary Garden of Waimea Middle School will be featured in a virtual tour of school gardens from Hawaii Island to Washington, D.C.
Mala‘ai is one of only six school gardens throughout the country selected to present an online video lesson during the tour.
The premier event, “Growing School Gardens: Seeding a Healthy Future for Our Youth,” is a celebration of National Garden Month. So far, 500 different schools have signed up to participate by viewing the 45-minute broadcast.
Hosted by the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation with support from the School Garden Support Organization Network, the tour will highlight ways school gardens advance nutrition and environmental literacy; science, technology, engineering and math education; and social-emotional wellness.
Classes, educators, at-home learners, families and gardeners of all ages are invited to register for the program at growingschoolgardens.org. It will also be available online afterward.
For Mala‘ai, the after-school class will present “‘E Kilo ‘Oe — Observe Nature with All Your Senses.” They will share the meaning of oli, traditional chants, and how growing staple crops such as kalo teaches about important cultural connections between plants, people, food and the land. Students in Mala‘ai harvest, cook and explain the Hawaiian practice of kilo, keen observation.
“This is an incredible opportunity for our garden and the larger movement in Hawaii,” said Zoe Kosmas, interim executive director of Mala‘ai. “We are honored to represent this work and proud of our students’ ability to share its value. What we’ve accomplished over the last 16 years with students, teachers and the community has truly been the work of many hands. … We’re excited to be part of this celebration of school gardens told by students, for students.”
For more information, visit www.malaai.org.