The end of the school year is always exciting. 

This year, the Platteville High School Future Farmers of America chapter made it even more exciting for Platteville Middle School sixth-graders. 

A group of FFA students prepared a tomato plant for each sixth-grader and went to PMS to teach a lesson on plant growth and care. 

Plants and plant growth are topics in the sixth-grade science curriculum. Urban agriculture and agricultural education are included in the FFA program. The two were combined when the high school students prepared the plants and put together a lesson for the sixth-graders. 

Teaching something to someone is one of the best ways to really learn about a topic. When you combine that with getting involved and “doing” the lesson, it makes the learning come alive. The tomato plant that each sixth-grader took home to plant will keep the learning going all summer. 

The project was under the guidance of PHS teacher and FFA advisor Brigid Reimann. She led a group of FFA members as they prepared and taught the lesson. The lesson was designed to give the sixth-graders a better understanding of plant growth and to show them how to care for their tomato plant. 

“The students did a wonderful job with the lesson,” said Gary Munson, a member of the Platteville Main Street Program Sustainability Committee. “It was well organized and clearly presented. The sixth graders were really paying attention to their high school teachers.” 

The tomato plant project idea came from the Sustainability Committee, one of the functions of the Platteville Main Street Program. The costs were covered by a grant from the Clarence Gribble Trust of the Platteville Community Fund. The tomato plant project is one of four urban agriculture projects the Sustainability Committee will undertake this year.