Cottonwood Elementary one of four Lyon County schools awarded grant for school gardens

Robert Perea, The Fernley Reporter

Cottonwood Elementary School in Fernley was one of four schools in Lyon County to receive grant awards in support of school garden efforts.

In all, the Nevada Department of Agriculture awarded up to $5,000 to 40 Title I schools in Clark, Douglas, Churchill and Lyon counties.

Encouraging consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables is an ongoing priority for Nevada schools to promote healthy living and learning for students, and thanks to Senate Bill (SB) 167, signed into law by Governor Brian Sandoval on June 8, 2017, the NDA was able to appropriate up to $5,000 in funding to each qualifying school during the 2018-2019 school year.

“School gardens as an educational tool allow teachers to provide a course of study addressing multiple subject areas in a hands-on setting as an extension of the classroom,” said Amber Smyer, agriculture literacy coordinator for the NDA. “We hope this funding will encourage Title I schools to establish and maintain school gardens, where students can learn applied sciences and healthy eating.”

This award is the second year of a two-year grant allocated for school gardens; the first year awarded up to $10,000 each to 48 schools in five counties for establishing new gardens.