Students at Willowbrook Middle School learn about sustainable living through the Permaculture Club.
School is out for the day at Willowbrook Middle School, but not everyone will be going home for a while. Members of the Permaculture Club are prepared for an hour or two of work in the garden, caring for the goats, ducks, chickens, and rabbits.
The Permaculture Club is an after-school farming and gardening club that teaches students how to lead a self-sufficient lifestyle through a holistic and sustainable approach to growing food and raising animals.
Everyone works hard, laying down hay, feeding the animals, cleaning the pens, and filling the plastic pool with water for the ducks. Chickens by the dozen are temporarily housed at a nearby farm. The students call themselves the Pet Patrol. They not only care for their animals, they bond with them. Many have their favorite goat, duck, or rabbit. At the end of the school year, with their parents’ permission, they are allowed to take the rabbits home for the summer months.
Tara Duncan is the school nurse at Willowbrook Middle School. Three years ago, she stepped up to organize and supervise the after-school Permaculture Club.
The Permaculture Club meets every other Thursday at the school. Mrs. Duncan reviews the information and discusses what needs to be done before heading outside to tend to the animals and work in the garden. Once outside, they all have chores to do, such as feeding, watering, and caring for the animals. “They learn responsibility and bond with the animals, and they have a lot of fun.” The 6th through 8th-grade students also build pens and fences, clean and refill pools, spread hay for the animals, and construct fencing and trellises for the nearby garden.
Doug Elkstrom oversees the large garden next to the animal pens. He keeps the students busy with tasks such as weeding, fixing fencing, building, fertilizing, laying down hay, and watering the garden. Elkstrom is the Special Education at Willow Brook. He started the garden during the COVID-19 pandemic. “The kids really get involved.” It’s a challenge getting the vegetables to grow. We compost and use food scraps from the school as fertilizer. We give the produce to food pantries in the area. It’s a way of giving back to the community.”
The majority of plants are vegetables. However, this year, the junior gardeners are growing herbs and some fruits as well. The students plant seeds in early spring. During the summer and fall, it’s time to reap the harvest. Garlic, tomatoes, squash, peppers, carrots, cucumbers, beets, asparagus, herbs, and more. The Permaculture Club received a grant a few years ago that has helped provide raised beds for growing the vegetables.
School may be out for the summer, but the animals and garden are still tended by neighboring farmers and volunteers who come to the school regularly. Some kids gravitate toward caring for the animals. They feed, water, and play with them, while other students prefer planting, weeding, and harvesting the garden. Allison Keller lives on a farm near the school. She lends a hand during the school year as well as in the summer. She also brings homemade cookies for the hardworking crew.
Farm Stand Friday offers fresh vegetables in the entryway of the school. Visitors are encouraged to put a few coins in the donation box. The Willowbrook Fall Festival will be held sometime in September. Hayrides, pumpkins, a petting zoo, and vegetables from the Permaculture Club will be available.