Freshman Reid Nutting and seniors Solan Coutts, Walter Giller and Eddie Merritt plant broccoli, kale and bok choy in the raised beds next to the Cassingham playground during family and consumer sciences teacher Marybeth Motasem’s fifth period Food Science class Monday, April 27. The project was designed to teach students about companion planting, a gardening method in which specific varieties of plants are planted close together, resulting in a higher yield of food, Motasem said. Red, pink and purple pansies were also placed in the corners of all the beds to attract bees, she added. The raised beds were designed and built by middle school design students in 2015, Motasem said. Each year, these gardens yield between 200 and 400 pounds of food, which Motasem either uses in class or donates to local food pantries.
Published and digitized May 2026.
