The Voigt Elementary School blacktop will undergo a transformation into a garden with funds provided by Bond 2014.
The new garden is part of a study conducted by the University of Texas at Austin, and funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health. The program, TX Sprouts, will explore whether growing fruits and vegetables and learning nutrition and cooking skills can improve health and reduce childhood obesity. Plans are for the garden to contain herbs, vegetable beds and native Texas plants. More information about TX Sprouts can be found at the organization’s website.
The current blacktop has become a safety hazard for students and staff as the ground supporting the blacktop has shifted and moved, creating cracks and an overall unsafe environment. The plan to transform the outdoor space was part of a $29,508 bond item to the existing blacktop.
“This isn’t the first time Voigt has tried to make the best of its blacktop,” Voigt Principal Cheryl Hester said. “Once upon a time, a teacher went out there and painted it blue, to make it look like a flat globe, with the continents.”
The changes to the blacktop won’t come overnight, but that hasn’t dimmed the spirits of the Voigt Vikings who are already looking forward to the learning opportunities that will grow within their new garden.
“While our blacktop isn’t much to look at now, everyone at Voigt is picturing the amazing garden that’s to come,” Hester said. “We believe this new garden will be a valuable part of our school’s community.”
