Jamestown Public Market Director Linnea Haskins and Market Community Coordinator Hanna Bavuso present to Jamestown School Board (October 25, 2022)

The Jamestown Public Market has received a $50,000 from the USDA to bring edible gardens to Washington Middle and Bush Elementary Schools.

Public Market Community Coordinator Hannah Bavuso, speaking to the Jamestown School Board, said bringing edible gardens to the schools is a new initiative, “The idea of these edible school gardens is to really engage students in learning about where their food comes from. So taking it from, ‘This is something good to eat. This is not good for you to eat,’ and really showing individuals about what that means. And then empowering them to learn how to do it on their own.”

Bavuso said they will be helping Washington Middle School revitalize their garden and using funds to put tower gardens in at Bush Elementary.

She said the public market had worked with the Summer LEAP program at Fletcher and Bush schools this past summer, working with 165 students, “And really talked about where their food comes from and got them engaged with planting seeds, and we created business plans around food. It was really fun to watch them get inspired and learn about this really important aspect of not just how to nourish our bodies but actually how to grow the things that do nourish their bodies.”

Market Director Linnea Haskins said the program is not only a way to help make Jamestown a healthier community, but it’s also a way to inspire kids to get involved in local agriculture and the local economy.

The program for young children through adults runs through August 20.

Assistant Library Manager Danielle Bertolini said a bike rodeo with Pearl City Cycle from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. will kick-off the reading program this Saturday, “It’s really great for kids who are just learning to ride a bike or want to improve their biking and safety skills. They’ll have cones and an obstacle course. And I believe we’ll have JPD here as well to kind of talk about bike safety. And we’ll have a helmet decorating station, so it’s going to be a lot of fun. And then also on Saturday the 25th, we have our teen summer reading kick off which is a tie-dye and pizza party which is happening from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.”

Bertolini said kids can track minutes read on reading logs, “Basically, when they turn in their reading logs they’ll get entries for the grand prize drawing. We’re also doing a ‘Read for Beads’ program this year. So at the beginning of summer when kids start the summer reading program, they’ll get a lanyard and a little tag on it. And throughout the summer when they turn in their reading logs, they’ll get beads and charms as incentives for reading. So throughout the summer they can fill up a whole necklace, or maybe even a few necklaces.”

She said there also will be bingo sheet with literacy exercises. Kids prizes include lego sets, magna-tiles and pop-its. Prizes for teens include a 3D printing pen, light box, and lego set. The prizes for adults include at $50 gift card to Dots and a $25 gift card to the Good Neighbor Bookstore.

The library also will be bringing the reading program to Jamestown Schools‘ Summer LEAP program as well as the City’s Summer Playground Program.

The Summer Reading Program is free and folks can sign up at the Prendergast Library or find more information online at prendergastlibrary.org/summer-reading-program/

Jamestown Public Schools

McDowell said LEAP is a literacy program meant to help stop “summer slide” and close the gaps in learning from the pandemic. She said two new programs added include the JUMP program for students entering 7th and 8th grade, “And they’ll be working at our middle schools with our middle school teachers. They’re going to be doing project based learning which is really all about authentic learning. It’s real, it’s fun, and exciting for students. And we’re also going to add a program for our current 8th graders who will be transitioning into 9th grade at Jamestown High School and that’s a transition program to get them ready for everything that happens at Jamestown High School.”

McDowell says there is no cost for the summer programs and that parents or guardians who want to sign up their children should contact their school’s building principal. Information is also available on the District’s website at jpsny.org