Thanks for helping us grow food 

On behalf of Pacheco Elementary School's first graders, I thank One Cool Earth, the Harold J. Miossi Charitable Trust, and Susan Rodriguez State Farm Insurance, which enabled us to have a delightful and important educational experience—a new school garden!

My first grade students and I love the garden!

We had many lessons with Miss Ali, One Cool Earth's garden educator. She inspired our students to love nature, understand where food comes from, and realize the importance of microorganisms and other critters. First graders got to dig, plant seeds and starts, and eat vegetables that they helped cultivate. And what a thrill that was to watch, especially seeing pure joy in the reaction of some students who had never experienced anything like this!

In a world where many children eat mostly fast food and see scary things on the news and violent video games, their enthusiasm for being outdoors and learning about nature was refreshing and beautiful.

Early on the first morning back after summer break I was standing admiring the garden when a small girl came up to me and said, "Did you see how big our plants got?" And then she added proudly, "We did that!"

Lisa Ajanel

Pacheco Elementary School first grade teacher

San Luis Obispo