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Community Corner

Van Buren Moody Elementary School awarded $3,500 grant for 'Sowing Seeds' project

MIDDLETOWN, CT – The Community Foundation of Middlesex The The Community Foundation of Middlesex County has awarded Van Buren Moody Elementary School a $3,500 grant to convert the school’s two courtyards into outdoor classrooms.

The aim of the project, called “Sowing Seeds,” is to offer students at Moody an enhanced, hands-on education in science, math, nutrition, farming and the native environment. Starting in the spring of 2014, the existing, conventional landscaping in each courtyard will be removed and replaced with plantings that reflect a distinct theme. The school’s eastern courtyard, assigned a farming theme, will be planted with fruit trees, herbs, vegetables and annual flowers; the western courtyard will be planted with native trees, shrubs and perennial flowers typically found in the natural environment.

“We are very pleased to support the “Sowing Seeds” project at Van Buren Moody Elementary School,” said Cynthia Clegg, president and chief executive officer, Community Foundation of Middlesex County. “This grant is made possible by the generosity of so many, but particularly two of CFMC’s environmentally focused funds – the Botanical Beautification Fund and the Phyllis McDowell Fund for the Environment.

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“Sowing Seeds” will bring the natural world alive for our young people and will provide them great opportunities to learn about horticulture, conservation and the beauty around them.”

Middletown’s School Supt. Patricia Charles is highly supportive of the study of native plants and vegetables, herbs and fruits in the authentic setting of Moody School’s outdoor courtyards. “Extending learning opportunities to the outdoor setting affords our students hands-on experiences in the life cycle of plants,” she said.

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Moody Principal Yolande Eldridge agrees. “It will be an exciting project for our students to witness first hand. Our students are especially interested in watching plants grow and tasting the results! This year, we held a contest on seed estimation with our sunflower plants. This was followed by a garden club member roasting the seeds for our classes!”

Work on “Sowing Seeds” is due to be completed in the fall. The total estimated cost of the project is $5,000. CFMC’s grant will be supplemented with $1,000 in funding from Moody School’s PTA and $500 in individual donations.

Moody School was one of forty-five (45) organizations awarded funding through the Community Foundation’s competitive grants process.

The Community Foundation of Middlesex County (CFMC), with offices in Middletown, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in Middlesex County. Established in 1997, CFMC works with charitably-minded individuals and organizations to build permanent endowments and other charitable funds. CFMC supports local nonprofit organizations through effective grant making and programs to address community needs. Since its founding in 1997, the Community Foundation has provided 1,100 grants totaling more than $3.3 million to organizations for the arts, cultural and heritage programs, educational activities,  environmental improvements, and for health and human services. More information about the foundation may be found on its website: http://middlesexcountycf.org

Moody is a public elementary school located at 300 Country Club Road.

For more information about the project, contact Mike McCune at mccune.mike@comcast.net.

 

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