Learning Garden initiative expands roots to Oleai school

  Students of Oleai Elementary School are following in the “green” footsteps of their counterparts at Dandan Elementary School after being introduced to the Learning Garden initiative of Tan Holdings yesterday.

Close to 50 students from the first grade class of Ernestina Agulto and third grade class of Roxie Lamar were all raring to get their hands dirty by planting seeds and saplings of eggplants, corn, and tomatoes in three agricultural plots.

Tan Holdings’ Learning Garden initiative is patterned after school learning gardens in the U.S. where public and private organizations partner with schools and communities to create gardens that would teach students how grow their own crops, nurture healthy lifestyles, and take an active part in nature conservation and environmental stewardship.

Through the Learning Garden, students are given the opportunity to care for their own gardens and, at the same time, develop a sense of responsibility by keeping the crops alive, foster social interaction skills by working together, and learn patience by awaiting the growth of their crops.

Learning Garden was first launched at Dandan Elementary School on Feb. 15 and is made possible with the support of the Public School System, the Northern Marianas College – Cooperative Research Extension and Education Service, the Mariana Islands Nature Alliance, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Yesterday’s event was attended by some Tan Holdings executives wearing green shirts and led by corporate consultant David M. Sablan, who began the program by sharing with the students how his passion for farming was cultivated at a young age.

Sablan, who went to a Japanese school before and during the war, recounted how he learned to use the abacus and speak and read the Japanese language in the morning. When afternoon came, the students were taught about farming by growing all kinds of vegetables. Sablan said he thought they were being punished. He later realized that learning a great deal about farming wasn’t punishment but an advantage for them so they can grow crops, which they can harvest to put food on their tables.

“This island needs good farmers,” Sablan said. “Farming is one way to help our economy in the CNMI.”

Sablan urged the students to start looking at farming as a career option by growing vegetables in their school garden or in their own backyards, saying that planting is easy on the islands because of the fertile soil.

Sablan, with the assistance of NMC-CREES staff, demonstrated the proper way of planting the seeds and saplings.

Nine-year-old Kinna Palacios, who planted a corn seed yesterday, said this was her first time to plant something and it was “very easy.”

“If I got the time, I’ll look after it and watch it grow,” she said.

Jerome Valate, 8, described his experience as “fun.”

“I’ll water them, make sure it has enough sunlight so it will grow,” said Valate, adding that he will encourage his parents to plant vegetables at home.

Six-year-old Jurosy Warakai said he’ll make sure that his other classmates would also look after their garden.

Felix Kapwich, 7, said his experience sowing an eggplant made him realize something. “I want to be a farmer and plant other kinds of vegetables.”

School principal Jack Sablan said the initiative will teach students the proper way to raise plants. “They were all excited and they cannot wait for the plants to grow. I’m excited for them because this is something they can apply at home. We’ll make sure that this garden becomes successful,” Jack Sablan told Saipan Tribune.

He plans to involve students from other grade levels in the Learning Garden, which he hopes to expand in the future.

Two of the middle garden plots were crescent-shaped as designed by Tom Pangelinan, a natural resource management student at NMC. He is a member of the Environmental Natural Resource Organization, which collaborates with public schools in maintaining their Learning Gardens.

Acting Education Commissioner Glenn Muna, a former Oleai Elementary School principal, thanked Tan Holdings for their continued partnership with PSS. “This is one project that needs to continue.”