Specialty Crop

Students in the Arapahoe Schools learn about plant sciences, horticulture, gardening, and cooking, and how they relate back to Northern Arapaho culture. They grow vegetables, herbs, fruits, and flowers in a greenhouse and outdoor gardens, and fresh produce (including microgreens) is used in the school lunch program. Produce is also made available to elders and other residents of the community.

“We’re in the middle of a food desert out here, and one of the things we’re doing is teaching a healthier way of life and our goal is that way of life transfers back home,” says program coordinator Danielle Hope Logue.

“The gardening and cooking program is one of the more popular programs at the school. Students get a real sense of pride in what they are learning and achieving. A community member recently told me that one of her granddaughter’s made a dinner for them, and part of it came from vegetables she grew at the school,” Logue adds.

Facilities include a 30ʹ × 60ʹ year-round greenhouse, outdoor raised beds, a potato bed, and two Charlie carts (all-in-one kitchens on wheels).