Collegeville Elementary School is taking the earth seriously, and hoping it goes a step further with its school district's "Going Green" initiative.
The school is trying to get enough votes to win an organic garden from the "Organic. It's Worth It in schools" online campaign, started by the Organic Trade Association.
According to Katie Thomas, the school's assistant principal, the entire community will benefit if the school wins the garden, which comes with seeds, tools, soil and support from an organic gardener.
Students in Mrs. Pamplin's fourth-grade glass will help tend the garden, along with faculty members and people in the community.
To vote for Collegeville in the contest, which runs through May 1, sign up online here: Organic. It's worth it
Collegeville isn't the only school looking to help the environment. Mabelvale Middle School recently broke ground on a garden as part of the Delta Garden Study.
The Mabelvale school will serve as the pilot campus for the $2-million study designed to show how building new gardens — complete with greenhouses, budding crops and composting areas — can help children cultivate green thumbs, log more physical activity, eat healthier and connect with their schools.
The Delta Green Study, which is through the Arkansas Children's Hospital Research Institute, will assist in the development of a one-acre garden, complete with equipment, seeds, chicken coops and a composting area.