Jill Shores of Urbanna retired last year after 34 years of dedicated service to Middlesex Elementary School (MES) as a kindergarten, second grade and third grade teacher.
For most of that time, she taught third grade and in 2022, she introduced the “Living Garden Classroom” concept to students by planting a flower/vegetable garden in the area behind MES beside the playground.
In 2023, the program received a $1,000 grant to expand the garden and the MES Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) worked with her to install raised flower and vegetable beds. The program has been met with stellar success, giving children hands-on lessons in planting, growing and learning life cycles.
Watching things grow
Over the years, the program inspired competition between students as to who could grow the largest broccoli, spinach and lettuce plants. For several years, third graders have used flowers grown from the garden to create floral arrangements for the MES fifth grade graduation. The program has also grown herbs to give students an understanding of herbs and their importance.
This year with Shores’ retirement she volunteered her services to continue the program. “Even though she retired at the end of the school year, she continues to work hard at helping teachers and students,” said third grade MES teacher Robin Lambert. “We have been able to teach the life cycle of pumpkins by watching the growth stages, starting with the seed, the plant, the flower and ending with the pumpkin.”
“I retired but I still want to continue to support the schools and help them,” said Shores. “I love every minute of it. The pumpkin seeds were planted just after a monsoon and I wondered if they were going to come up,” she said.
“We planted half yellow and half green and there are green and yellow mixed and all different sizes,” said Shores.
The students have harvested about 75 pumpkins and if the current blooms all turn into melons there should be 75 more pumpkins.
At that rate, there should be a Halloween pumpkin for just about every third grade student and more.
Hats off to Mrs. Shores who continues to teach in her retirement!
