Hillside Students Participate in the 'Farmer in Me' Program

Does your family history include farming? Some students at Hillside Elementary School can tell you theirs does.

The school recently partnered with Harry's Farmers Market in Roswell for the "Farmer in Me" program, which reconnects children with farming and shows them that providing food for others is as needed and respected of a profession as being a doctor or lawyer.

The program coincided with April's National Gardening Month, according to Harry's spokesperson, Jennifer Smeth.

"We wanted to go beyond [the school's] already extensive outdoor teaching classroom and really foster an opportunity to further connect children with gardening and farming," she said.  

Students at the school were asked to sit down and discuss whether there has been a backyard garden or farm in their family history. Out of a student body of 750 students, about 110 students submitted art projects to tell their family stories during the program.

The school and Harry's plan expand the program next year. The school will host in-school field trips with farmers and growers, hold a Farming Career Day, perhaps bring chickens to the school, show a documentary about farming and much much more, according to Smeth.

"Working with [Hillside] has been such an incredible opportunity, as it has really allowed us to take Georgia’s Farm2School program to a whole other level," she said.