Chad DeWitt (top left) shares how UVA Students and Star Hill Pathway middle schoolers connected over digging in the dirt, planted food, and explored ways to improve community food access together.
There's something about digging in the dirt together that gets everyone talking. Out in the garden, the proverbial walls come down, and before long, we’re sharing stories, asking curious questions, and laughing over the day's discoveries. With each weed pulled or seed planted, we’re not just working on a garden—we’re growing something much bigger.
That’s what happened when the Office for Sustainability invited 7th grade students from the Starr Hill Pathways program to our student garden to experience a taste of sustainability at UVA through the lens of growing food. Local middle schoolers in this program have the chance to explore various career pathways during designated non-school days, participating in hands-on activities and recreation, with meals and transportation provided. DeVon Wade, Community Partnerships Program Manager at The Equity Center says, "It's meaningful for students to start thinking through what sustainability can mean and look like in their own life and how to apply it.” The goal of our partnership is to help students identify pathways to pursue further during their summer, and gain connections and skills to explore beyond the program.
UVA’s student garden offers many opportunities to contribute to food accessibility in Charlottesville, and serves as a reminder of the roles we each play in ensuring everyone has access to nourishing meals. We harvest crops that anyone can use, not just UVA students and staff, and donate part of what we grow. We share some of our garden beds with neighborhood members, who have harvested their own peppers, eggplants, and other fresh produce. This October held onto the warmth of late summer, allowing us to savor tangy raspberries and fragrant cantaloupe from the garden, making me excited to share the magic of Grounds with this new audience, the Star Hill Pathways program students.
Once we got beyond the half smiles, some awkward silence, and the nervous energy of the middle schoolers, they really got to work. During the first session as we pulled weeds, I learned all about local middle school football. One student, who also is the starting running back, animatedly described how he dodged defenders and sprinted down the field for the longest touchdown of his career, and I couldn’t help but smile at his excitement. Juking defenders in full pads under Friday night lights is a pretty unrelatable experience for me, but I got to share about my glory days on the track. It turns out he wants to run track this season —who knows, maybe he’ll teach me a thing or two about sprinting!
In our second session with the middle schoolers, we planted cover crops for the winter while sharing our favorite subjects in school. Like me, the 7th graders didn’t love their science classes but were confident in math. One Scholar told me she’s excited to attend business school, or maybe try out engineering. Our time in the garden planted the seeds of curiosity and ambition, encouraging them to explore paths they might not have considered before.
After about 45 minutes and many pairs of gloves, we came inside to talk about food access and how we’re using gardening to be a part of solutions. Our presentation spotlighted organizations like Cultivate Charlottesville and New Roots, who do similar work to advance food equity through the power of community gardening.
The students shared many ways that they can contribute to food accessibility, like supporting farmers markets, advocating for more public transportation and grocery stores, and making sure to reduce their food waste. We learned what nourishing meals mean to each of us, and that brussels sprouts are still a middle schooler's worst nightmare. To conclude our morning together, they painted rocks – pops of color scattered to spread cheer throughout the garden. It was one more reason for the students to return, and an art exhibit anyone is welcome to enjoy.
We look forward to seeing the Stars Hill Pathways students back this spring. In the meantime, the memories and conversations will remind us how a garden can cultivate not only food, but also connection, shared purpose, and a deeper understanding of what it means to nourish our community.
Chad (he/him) coordinates many waste programs on Grounds such as Greens Games, Zero Waste Ambassadors, and Hoos Reuse. He supports the Green Athletics and Waste Minimization student employee teams, and assists with broad student engagement and zero waste events. Chad recently graduated from the University of Georgia with degrees in sociology and economics, and enjoys running outside, yoga, and cooking with local ingredients.