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Miss America Betty Cantrell meets Cason Lane Academy Students
MURFREESBORO — Students from Cason Lane Academy were recognized for winning a national farming competition with a visit from Miss America 2016 Betty Cantrell at The Grove at Williamson Place in Murfreesboro on Wednesday.
The third-graders were honored for winning the inaugural First Peas to the Table Contest, an American Farm Bureau contest that encouraged elementary school students to plant, grow and harvest peas on campus, said Carrie Smith, the third-grade teacher who took part in the competition.
"We planted, we watered and watched them grow," Smith said.
The Cason Lane students planted seeds in March and harvested two cups of English peas in mid-May, Smith said. After sending a picture of the harvested peas, the students found out they won the contest and a visit from Cantrell, who was crowned Miss America last year.
After touring the farm along Medical Center Parkway and eating lunch on Wednesday, the Murfreesboro students sat under a large shade tree at the farm and entertainment venue while Cantrell read a children's book tied to the Farm Bureau competition.
Cantrell, who grew up on a 600-acre farm in Georgia, said she emphasized healthy children after winning the Miss America crown and partnered with American Farm Bureau to further that message.
By supporting agriculture in schools, she said kids can learn where their food comes from and discover how they can grow fruits and vegetables on their own.
"The kids are so proud of what they've done," Cantrell said. "It's very, very cool."
Some of the students at the farm on Tuesday said they enjoyed the project that brought them beyond books and the classroom. Through a garden on campus, children also grow carrots and herbs on campus.
"You actually get to do it and experience it," said third-grader Victoria Ward.
The students' experiences gave them opportunities to not only grow the produce but also to eat it fresh for the first time, Smith said.
When Cantrell asked what the peas tasted like, the third-graders gave mixed reactions. Learning more about the plants and how farmers grow them, however, was still a strong educational experience for them, she said.
The farming program at Cason Lane Academy is set to expand to all grades next year after a greenhouse is completed at the school, Smith said. The school received a grant to construct a greenhouse similar to the one at Overall Creek Elementary School.
http://www.dnj.com/story/news/2016/06/08/miss-america-meets-cason-lane-farming-students/85557880/
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