Fresh vegie approach leaves a lasting taste

By Shaun Inguanzo
STUDENTS at Maralinga Primary School are learning the fun way that vegetables can be grown – not just bought.
The school, with help from ANZ Bank volunteers, installed nine vegetable patches in the Keysborough school’s grounds last school holidays and now students have begun planting herbs and vegetables in a bid to learn more about fresh produce.
School wellbeing officer, Elissa Sewell, said it was part of the school’s approach to healthy eating as well as environmentally sustainable practices.
Ms Sewell said students were using excess water collected in buckets from drinking taps to water herb and vegetable seeds in each of the beds.
The vegetable patches are the pet projects of teachers Danai Goudas and Julie Sheil and are the result of 12 months of planning, including applying for grants.
Ms Sewell said the school provided $3000 towards the project and received $6000 from the Victorian Government’s Healthy Start in Schools program.
“The vegetables and herbs have been planted and the students will eventually harvest and cook them,” Ms Sewell said.
“Hopefully, we’ll get to taste the vegetables.”
Meanwhile, Ms Sewell – a wellbeing officer shared between Maralinga and the Springvale-based Spring Valley Primary School – was awarded a certificate for excellence from Nutrition Australia for her work in ensuring both schools had developed healthy eating programs.
“Out of people from 100 schools in Victoria I was awarded it for my work in the 2007 school year,” Ms Sewell said.