Mary Meacham

Meacham's "Green Thumbs and the Sprouts" is a collaborative project between a high school environmental/gardening club (the Green Thumbs) and elementary students (the Sprouts) that turns an unused playground into a garden area. Students design, plant, and maintain raised plant beds that follow a theme in reading, math, science, or history, such as a salad garden to harvest and eat, or a bed focusing on Arkansas farm crops with soybeans and cotton. High school club members, parents, and community members provide heavy initial work. The project provides a valuable hands-on learning experience for students and a way for community volunteers to become involved with the school.