Abernethy Elementary School’s all-around focus on student wellness is especially evident in its food offerings. With an organic garden and comprehensive Farm-to-School program, the students and faculty at Abernethy are leaders in sustainability.

The school’s 350-square-foot Garden of Wonders provides the basis for many cafeteria meals, and is also used for teaching nutrition, food history, and garden science, as well as observing insects and habitats.

The food program at Princeton Day School runs the gamut from local to global, and always strives to teach students the value of eating healthfully and sustainably.

The school’s thriving organic garden is a collective effort. Each classroom in the Lower School has its own raised bed, with students planting and growing such vegetables as okra, zucchini, lettuce, and beans, as well as a variety of herbs.

When the demand for healthier fare became apparent at Bloomington Developmental Learning Center, meat-free seemed like the best way for the preschool to go. “We wanted higher-quality food for a lower price,” explains curriculum director Rose Witteveen.

Good-for-you vegetarian protein sources like beans and rice, cheese, and soy are supplemented by produce from the school’s organic garden, which includes tomatoes, peas, lettuce, carrots, squash, and berries. Students as young as three help with planting, weeding, and watering, and participate in curriculum activities like counting seeds and learning letters of the alphabet with different plants.

KIWI would like to thank the sponsor of the 2009 Kiwi Crusaders Award,
Fruitabü Organic Smoooshed Fruit.

Our 2009 Application will be coming soon.
Click here to see last year's winners.