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Students and teachers from Eastside Christian Elementary School broke ground Feb. 3 on the campus' new organic garden project.

The project began Feb. 12 and involves the removal of existing dirt and replacing it with fresh organic soil, then the planting and seeding of organic herbs and vegetables.

The installation of the gardens is a collaborative effort between groOrganic, and Eastside Christian Elementary School and is designed to provide the opportunity and empower children to develop lifelong habits of nutrition, health and service. Producing their own organic garden, administrators said, promotes confidence and positive role models for healthier lifestyles within the community.

As part of the project, groOrganic will present the school with a gardening enrichment curriculum program that encompasses both California Board of Education content standards and state standards. The curriculum teaches students the importance of understanding our environment and how to protect it.

They will also learn about balanced, healthy lifestyles through cross-curricular educational content standards in the area of language arts, nutrition, historical and social science, mathematics, physical education, science, visual arts, performing arts and community service opportunities.

"The garden is a natural place of learning and growing," said Karen Cancilla, founder of groOrganic. "The metaphors it provides are invaluable for children."

If you'd like more information about this topic, please contact Jennifer DeWitt at 888-947-6674 or email Jennifer at jennifer@groOrganic.com.