Benner students use recyclable material to enhance school garden

Students at Benner Elementary School are participating in an activity to help promote its school garden – all while tapping into their creativity. They created a display of the Benner Bear Town for the Carton-2-Garden contest. The national program was established to help students find a passion for their school’s gardens by transforming empty cartons into potting containers. If submitted to the organization, the winning design can win up to $5,000 to put toward school garden initiatives. Second-grade teacher Lata Anantheswaran said milk cartons were saved after breakfast and lunch. Two community volunteers then helped every student plant flower seeds in the cartons, and the students took care of them in their classroom by making sure their seeds had enough hydration and sunlight. Teachers then helped students with the planning and executing to create the town display that they named the Benner Bear Town. “Students used an art class to brainstorm, created their part of the town and decided to work individually or collaboratively to make their piece of Benner Bear Town,” Anantheswaran said. “They used tempera paint or paper to add color and theme to their cartons. Some students chose to create houses, apartment buildings, or pieces of a landscape.” Other features of the garden town include fire stations, coffee shops, stores, farms complete with animals and more. It’s then being planted at the garden behind the school building.