Introducing the 2022 Arkansas Grown School Garden of the Year Contest Winners
This fall, the Arkansas Department of Agriculture and the Farm Credit Associations of Arkansas were pleased to present awards to the winners of the 2022 Arkansas Grown School Garden of the Year Contest.
- Best Start-up School Garden Proposal:
*Lee Senior High School, Marianna (Lee County), $500 Award
Wonderview Elementary School, Hattieville (Conway County), $500 Award
- Best Education Based School Garden:
*Nettleton STEAM, Jonesboro (Craighead County), $500 Award
Conway High School, Conway (Faulkner County), $500 Award
- Best Harvest Partnership School Garden:
Crestwood Elementary, North Little Rock (Pulaski County), $500 Award
Chicot Elementary & Early Childhood Center, Mabelvale (Pulaski County), $500 Award
- Best Community Collaboration School Garden:
Arch Ford/Synergy ALE, Hot Springs Village (Garland and Saline Counties), $500 Award
Ward Central Elementary, Ward (Lonoke County), $500 Award
- Best Overall School Garden:
Pinnacle View Middle School, Little Rock (Pulaski County), $1,000 Award
- Champion of School Garden Sustainability:
Sheridan Elementary School, Sheridan (Grant County), $1,000 Award
The Arkansas Grown School Garden of the Year Contest was initiated by the Arkansas Department of Agriculture and Farm Credit Associations of Arkansas in 2014. The program provides the opportunity to promote the importance of involving young people in the process of fresh food production and cultivation. Together with AgHeritage Farm Credit Services and Farm Credit of Western Arkansas, Farm Credit Midsouth is pleased to once again provide the funding for the program.
“School gardens provide a hands-on opportunity for children to learn about Arkansas agriculture and where their food comes from. The lessons learned through school gardens have a lasting impact on children, their families, and entire communities,” said Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward.
The contest was available to public and private K-12 schools, early childhood education facilities, and alternative learning environments. Awardees were schools that had a school garden open during the 2021-2022 school year or planned to start a garden in the 2022-2023 school year. Watch for posts about next year’s contest coming soon!
*Denotes a school in the Farm Credit Midsouth 13-county service area.