Seventh grade students from Mancos Middle School had their first of three farm stands on Thursday, Aug. 29.
It’s part of a required elective called Farm-stand that teaches kids about growing food while also teaching them math and business principles.
The sale went from 3:30 to 4:10 p.m. in front of the Mancos High School.
Students sold zucchini, peppers, kale, chard, basil and flowers. It all came from a garden that kids in the district help sow, said Sorrell Redford, the education director at the Montezuma School to Farm Project.
Once the students harvested the veggies, they had to decide on how much money to sell things for, said Quorra Benally, a student in the class. They also got to decorate banners.
“This class is just really fun,” Benally said.
Another student, Kelsie Montoya, said she’s learned a lot about the produce they’re selling and how people operate at a farmer’s market.
“It’s good for talking to new people,” Montoya said.
She said she’s learned to put the pretty produce up front and angle the table to tactically draw in customers.
There are two more farm stands coming up, and each one will get progressively bigger, Redford said.
The next one will be on Wednesday Sept. 18, and the last one will be Wednesday, Oct. 9. At the final stand in October, the students will sell value-added projects – things like pesto and lemonade, Redford said.
It’s cash only, and all the money they earn goes back into the program to pay for things like food containers and banners.
“It’s a fundraiser in that sense,” Redford said. “People supporting it is most helpful.”
