The Independence County Master Gardeners have reinstated a scholarship program to support horticultural education for local students, providing up to $250 per school for gardening projects and programs. The scholarships aim to help educators across Independence County, from preschool to postsecondary levels, bring gardening and environmental education into their classrooms.
The 2023 scholarship recipients were honored on Wednesday night at the Cabin at the Barnett Farm homestead, according to the Master Gardeners. The funded projects span six educational institutions and involve a variety of gardening initiatives.
At Southside Preschool, Lisa McGhee oversees five raised garden beds where young students learn the fundamentals of gardening. The scholarship funds will cover seeds and maintenance costs.
Eagle Mountain Elementary’s Julie Burns leads a program where students plant seeds in the school’s greenhouse before transplanting them into garden beds. The funding will be used for seed-starting kits to expand lessons in growing, harvesting, cooking vegetables, and cultivating flowers.
Sulphur Rock Elementary, under Tina Baker’s guidance, partners with 4-H students to maintain the school garden. Third-grade students also tend a pumpkin patch and grow sunflowers. The scholarship will help provide more hands-on gardening experiences.
At West Elementary, James Housdan will use the scholarship funds to supply the school’s greenhouse, enhancing year-round horticultural education. The greenhouse supports third- through fifth-grade science classes in exploring plant life cycles and seed germination.
Batesville Junior High School Charter’s student garden club, led by Casey Burnside, manages a courtyard garden for vegetables and flowers. The scholarship will fund soil, seeds, and mulch. Students also contribute some of their harvest to the Friday Back Pack program, which provides food for Southside students.
The University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville Gateway Center will also receive funding. Dr. Brian Shonk plans to use the scholarship to purchase plants for the center’s raised garden beds. The facility’s Teaching Garden is accessible to area educators for use in their own programs.
The Master Gardeners emphasize that this initiative is designed to bring horticulture to life in educational settings while fostering appreciation for gardening, nature, and environmental stewardship. The program aligns with the mission of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Master Gardener program, which promotes research-based sharing of gardening knowledge to benefit communities and families statewide.