THELEAVEN.ORG | VOL. 46, NO. 8 | OCTOBER 4, 2024
SOWING THE SEEDS OF LOVE COURTESY PHOTO
Bryan Wallraff, third grade teacher at Queen of the Holy Rosary School, Wea, and students Lauren Dudzik and Grant Lemke harvest vegetables from the school’s garden, which was created after last year’s sixth grade class, taught by Wallraff, took a stewardship project and ran with it. Now, the school is feeding the hungry in their community with the produce they’ve grown.
Stewardship project sprouts big dreams for school garden By Moira Cullings moira.cullings@theleaven.org
B COURTESY PHOTO
Will Bosley and Sydney Shaddox put a lesson in action after a visit from a Miami County conservation agent, who taught them about soil science through growing potato slips.
UCYRUS — Last spring, sixth graders at Queen of the Holy Rosary School here sowed the seeds for a stewardship project to benefit their school. With a little TLC, their idea bloomed into a flourishing garden that’s now making a difference in the community. “It was really cool to see our ideas go from paper to being right in front of us and helping other people,” said Leah Carlson, who’s now in seventh grade. It started when the class of 13 was tasked with coming up with a stewardship project. “They wanted to help water plants around the school and pull weeds,” said Bryan Wallraff. “They took it and ran with it.” Wallraff, who taught sixth grade last year and is now teaching third, said his students’ dreams outgrew their initial plans. On Sept. 5, the now-seventh graders worked with the third graders to harvest and donate
60 pounds of produce from their garden to the Caring Ministry of First Baptist Church in Stilwell. The vegetables were distributed to families in need around the community. Principal Nick Antista was thrilled about the garden. “I thought it was an incredibly creative and meaningful addition to our school,” he said. “Not only does it offer a way for students to learn in a hands-on, engaging manner,” he continued, “but it also aligns beautifully with our values of stewardship, care for creation and fostering a sense of responsibility.” Donna Rains, Caring Ministry director, called the donation “a wonderful gift.” The Caring Ministry serves all sorts of people, she said. “Single mothers, grandparents raising children, families with an ill loved one, families suffering from job loss, families that are homeless, families that are just in need — what we now call the working poor,” said Rains. “It felt pretty good,” said seventh grader Will Bosley about the donation. “Your community’s >> See “STUDENTS” on page 7