The New Jersey Department of Agriculture has awarded Dogwood Hill Elementary School in the Oakland School District, Bergen County, with the “Best in New Jersey Farm to School Award.” The award was presented during the school’s Farm to School field day and cafeteria visit, part of the 14th annual Jersey Fresh Farm to School Week and Second Annual Ag Literacy Week held from September 23-27.
“Dogwood Hill Elementary School has demonstrated a true commitment to making Farm to School a regular part of their curriculum,” NJDA Secretary Ed Wengryn stated. “They work with nearby growers to ensure locally grown food is part of the menu when it is in season, and highlight area farmers with their farmstand in the cafeteria, which is great for students to learn where their food comes from.”
Throughout the year, Dogwood Hill Elementary has integrated local produce into its menus monthly. Activities include featuring a farm stand in the cafeteria with locally grown produce, celebrating Farm to School Week and National Farm to School Month with educational events like build your own salad day using all colors of the rainbow, using a tower garden for educational purposes including at the cafeteria salad bar, and organizing a field trip to Health Barn in Ridgewood for lessons on composting and planting.
"The Farm to School initiative started with our PTO donating a tower garden to the school," said Dogwood Hill Principal Sean Bowe. "Through the collaboration of Kelly Bosgra, student council advisor, our student council, and Pomptonian (Food Service), the Farm to School experience has grown into a wonderful learning opportunity for the entire school community. The events implemented over the last year provided our students with real world experience and further understanding of why New Jersey is called the Garden State."
Schools that entered this year's Farm to School Recognition Program had to demonstrate collaboration with farmers and communities ensuring students have access to healthy Jersey Fresh fruits and vegetables. These schools also integrate school gardens as part of their activities for hands-on education connecting students with New Jersey's agricultural history while promoting healthy eating habits.
Other schools recognized alongside Oakland District include:
- Buena Regional School District
- Union City School District
- Thomas Dudley School
- Nutley School District
- Union Township School District
- Dover High School District
- Woodbridge School District
- Cranbury School District
- Rahway School District
- Highland Park School District
- Linden Public Schools
- Bridgeton Public Schools
These schools will receive promotional material kits including banners, aprons, taste test stickers, posters, and seasonality charts.
Jersey Fresh Farm to School Week was established by law in 2010 as an annual event during the last week of September. It highlights schools that collaborate with New Jersey farmers to purchase local produce for school meals aimed at increasing student consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Farm-to-School activities can encompass nutrition education through taste tests with locally purchased produce, harvest meals featuring local products from New Jersey farms, curricular tie-ins linking cafeterias or school gardens directly into classroom teaching, visits or exchanges with local farms educating students on food growth processes, and school garden education aligned with classroom teachings.
Jersey Fresh Farm to School Week celebrates these partnerships between state farmers and schools encouraging local produce purchases for incorporation into school meals.
