by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Machias elementary school students recently enjoyed chef salads made in part with their own fresh, school-grown lettuces. Students in the Jobs for Maine Graduates (JMG) program harvested the lettuce, but that’s not all. They also wrote the grant that paid for the raised beds, soil, and seeds that grew the lettuce that fed their classmates at lunchtime.

“After they approved the grant, we did a Zoom presentation showing them what we planned to do with the money, our budget, and our timeline,” said eighth-grader Ben Mubang.