The Fayette County Public School System has received its fourth consecutive Golden Radish Award for its farm to school achievements, continuing to maintain the gold level.
 
Fayette was one of 18 school systems receiving the gold level award, and was among 84 Georgia school systems receiving awards either at the platinum, gold, silver, bronze, or honorary level. The school system received its first Golden Radish Award in 2015 at the bronze level, and then again in 2016 at the silver level.
 
This is the second consecutive year the school system received a gold level award. In 2017, the school system received its first gold award.
 
The award recognizes school systems for all aspects of farm to school initiatives from local food procurements to hosting taste tests and gardening with students.
 
Kokeeta Wilder, director of the school system’s school nutrition program, credits lead nutrition manager Ginger McCann and Master Gardener Jeff Eller at Spring Hill Elementary for helping the school system win the gold level award. McCann assists with the school system’s farm to school menus and Eller oversees the school garden at Spring Hill Elementary where he also works as a technology specialist.
 
Fayette’s accomplishments during the 2017-2018 school year that earned the system the gold level Golden Radish Award include Spring Hill Elementary’s Jeff Eller championing the school system’s farm to school program by coordinating community events and partnerships with the Boy Scouts, Eagle Scouts, University of Georgia, and Georgia Organics. Recent activities include an expanded rain barrel system, a hydroponic growing system, an extension of the school garden, and implementation of STEAM (Science. Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) curriculum school-wide. An elementary school "Cooking Squad" met once per month to prepare food with a teacher, school nutrition manager, and community member.
 
Additionally, Farm to school was integrated into 88 interdisciplinary lessons. A first grade class designed milk container greenhouses to grow pollinator-friendly flowers from seed. Over 425 hands-on cooking and food activities occurred through a collaboration between teachers, school nutrition program managers, community members, master gardeners, teachers, and farmers.
 
Sponsored by Georgia’s Departments of Agriculture, Education and Public Health, the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension, and Georgia Organics, the Golden Radish Awards ceremony was held at the Georgia Railroad Freight Depot in Atlanta on October 22.