ENGLEWOOD — A community garden at Miles Davis Magnet Academy could be a model for other schools to use when developing their own gardens.
That was the sentiment of Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Friday when he visited the school, 6740 S. Paulina St., along with Whole Foods Market co-CEO Walter Robb and Ald. JoAnn Thompson (16th), whose ward includes the school.
Davis is one of eight Englewood schools that shared a $20,000 garden grant from the Whole Kids Foundation. The gardening experience is why Omaree Dunord said he now likes to eat lettuce on a regular basis.
The seventh grader said he had never worked in a garden before but now he can't get enough of it.
"I used to not like tomatoes but now I eat them all the time. I like the interactive part of gardening," said the 12-year-old Englewood resident.
The closest Melvin Olive, an eighth grader at Davis, ever got to gardening was watering plants at home.
"Not anymore. I can [now] show you how to plant seeds in the ground," said Melvin, a 13-year-old Chicago Lawn resident.
More than 200 students have participated in the school's gardening program but only a handful of them are caretakers for it, said Michael McKinney, coordinator for the gardening and engineering programs at Davis.
"Everything growing in the garden was planted by a student. Students have planted lettuce, tomatoes, basil, rosemary, egg plants, and squash," McKinney said. "Today all the students ate a salad with their lunch and the lettuce came from the garden. What I am starting to see is students changing their eating habits to include more vegetables and less junk food."
Robb said when a Whole Foods store opens at 63rd and Halsted streets in 2016, it is the company's goal to also encourage people to start eating healthy.
"If kids are willing to give it a try [and eat more vegetables], then we as adults should do the same," Robb said. "Whole Foods is more than a grocery store. We are a health provider, too."
The mayor toured the garden with students and even ate some lemon lettuce.
"This is really good. Nothing like the taste of fresh vegetables in your mouth," Emanuel whispered to students.
But the garden does more than teach students about vegetables. Natea Griffin, an eighth grader, said it also relaxes her.
"It is so peaceful working in a garden. That's what I like about it," said the 13-year-old Englewood resident. "When I go to the grocery store I [now] know where to find the lettuce, tomatoes and carrots."
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