Two local primary schools are sowing the seeds for a brighter, healthier future, thanks to a new initiative set to transform how students learn, eat and connect with their community.

Gowrie St Primary School and Mooroopna Park Primary School are partnering with national not-for-profit Food Ladder, the Greater Shepparton Lighthouse Project, and three local Rotary clubs (Shepparton, Central and South) to install state-of-the-art, climate-controlled greenhouses on school grounds.

The initiative is expected to yield over 250kg of fresh produce annually, bolstering the schools’ healthy food programs and providing surplus fruit and vegetables for families to take home.

Lighthouse Project executive officer Amy Robinson said the decision to back the two schools was driven by need and impact.

“Gowrie St and Mooroopna Park both have food programs that feed the kids — breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks,” Ms Robinson said.

“That’s where the need was, and we could see that the food could be used within the school environment and leftovers sent home.”

At Gowrie St Primary School alone, 199 students receive breakfast, lunch and snacks daily. With food insecurity in Greater Shepparton nearly twice the state average, the project is about more than just meals — it’s about long-term change.

The greenhouses, which operate on six-week growing cycles, will also become living classrooms.

Through Food Ladder’s partnership with IBM, teachers will access an AI-powered curriculum builder that weaves greenhouse learning into subjects across all-year levels — from science and health to English and maths.

“In English, you can pump in the key learning criteria and the curriculum builder helps create specific lessons where you can link it into the greenhouse and growing,” Ms Robinson said.

“That’s what I really liked about the project — it integrates real-life learning with the curriculum.”

The digital curriculum suite, valued at $25,000 per school, is being made available at no cost, thanks to the backing of Food Ladder, Rotary Shepparton, Rotary Shepparton Central, Rotary Shepparton South and the Federal Government’s Stronger Communities Program.

Site preparations are now under way, with the first harvests expected to roll out later this year.

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Friday, 23rd June 2023

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