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Karen Acres students describe hunger project, school garden and Meals from the Heartland partnership
Summary
Fourth-grade students and teachers from Karen Acres Elementary told the Urbandale school board about a project-based learning unit on hunger that included a coin drive, volunteering with Meals from the Heartland and a community garden used to supply summer programs.
Daniel Wilson, principal of Karen Acres Elementary, and fourth-grade teachers presented a student-led project-based learning unit on hunger to the Urbandale Community School District Board on Sept. 22.
The students said the multi-part project began in 2023 with visits from local organizations including UCAN, the Urban Hill Food Pantry and Meals from the Heartland. “PBL is cross curricular, student led, meaningful, and engaging,” a student presenter said. The class ran a schoolwide coin drive and “raised over $655 as a school,” the students told the board, and several fourth-grade students volunteered at Meals from the Heartland to package meals.
The presenters showed the board a summary provided by Meals from the Heartland showing the school’s volunteer packing contributed to a reported total of 22,506 meals packaged; the students said the organization estimated that effort fed 86 children for a year and that volunteers packaged 104 boxes. The students also described produce grown in the school garden and said some garden harvest has been used in school lunches; the presenters noted that on Sept. 4 students had the option to choose green pepper strips from the garden at lunch.
Principal Daniel Wilson and teachers Lindsey Williams and Rudy Krueger described classroom learning outcomes tied to the project: students connected the unit to social studies content about the Dust Bowl and Great Depression, practiced counting and data-collection skills while running the drive, and applied math and science concepts to garden planning. Students also wrote explanatory letters to the community about local hunger and civic response.
When asked by a board member whether the garden production was tracked, a student said there was not a complete count: they named five primary crops and noted additional items such as radishes and onions. Students said the garden will likely be dormant over winter and provide fertilizer for the next season. The presenters and board members said extra produce can support the district’s summer program and could be available to community members if supply allows.
The student team recommended continuing the garden and project-based connections between classroom learning and community service; the board did not take formal action on the presentation.
