Radishes, beets, collards, spinach, carrots — a list like this would make most kids run for cover, but students at Ferry Pass Elementary were excited to plant these vegetables again this year in their Teaching Garden in Pensacola.

Gulf Power Company sponsored the American Heart Association Teaching Garden for the second year as part of an education initiative to help build healthy bodies and minds. Students, parents, teachers and Gulf Power volunteers helped students plant a winter crop of vegetables during the Plant Day Celebration held this morning at Ferry Pass Elementary.

The goal of the Teaching Garden program is to improve children’s health. According to the American Heart Association, numerous studies show that participating in school garden programs can improve students’ attitudes about fruits and vegetables, and kids who are healthy are proven to have higher academic performance.

Gulf Power will help support the garden and will assist in teaching students a curriculum that includes information about healthy eating, proper nutrition and growing their own fruits and vegetables.

“It’s a great educational opportunity for kids, not only to learn about gardening and eating right, but there also are some great life lessons they can learn through growing a garden as well,” said Natalie Smith, Gulf Power spokesperson.

Last year was the first year the Teaching Garden was introduced at Ferry Pass Elementary. According to Kelley Strycharz, Northwest Florida American Heart Association’s Regional director, the students’ interest in vegetables has increased and students have started to eat and bring more vegetables to school for lunch.

The garden was created using American Heart Association science and nutrition guidelines as well as information from gardening and education experts. The Teaching Garden program combines nutrition education with garden-based learning. The garden provides a real-life laboratory where students learn how to plant seeds, nurture growing plants, harvest produce and ultimately understand the value of good eating habits.

Gulf Power’s sponsorship allowed the school to purchase all the necessary materials to build the garden.

“This was a great way to promote health in the community and allowed our employees to give back from a wellness perspective,” said Smith.

Call Ferry Pass Elementary at 850-494-5605 for more information about this event or to find out how you can contribute to the school’s gardening efforts.