Benjamin Franklin Middle School cuts ribbon on Math Garden

ROCKY MOUNT, Va. (WDBJ) - Students at Benjamin Franklin Middle School in Franklin County now have a Math Garden. It’s part of an ongoing project by seventh-grade math teacher Jennifer Hatch.

Hatch has received several teaching awards this year, including 2024 Regional Teacher of the Year, for using agriculture to get her students excited about math. She started a hydroponics garden in her classroom to show how math is used in agriculture and their test scores grew.

“We wanted to capitalize on that growth by building these garden boxes and offering it to all students at the school,” Hatch said.”

The Franklin County Farm Bureau Women’s Committee reached out to local businesses and raised enough money for the garden boxes. Volunteers from a local church youth group pitched in to help build them.

The students will grow a variety of everyday foods. There’s a pizza box, a salsa box, a box with a variety of beans, and a salad box.

Hatch said the Math Garden is a dream come true that will make learning fun and engaging for students in Franklin County.

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