It has been astonishing.
We planted our school garden late in August. It was our first try. Now in early October, we are already seeing watermelons, cucumbers, zucchini, and a thousand tomatoes swelling and taking shape from their respective stems. The children simply love taking turns watering and tending it, proud to have a garden of their very own. How did this happen so quickly?
When asked why it is doing so well, the parent spearheading this project shrugged her shoulders.
"It's not me. We are just trying something out, and seeing if it works. It must have all it needs to grow, even though it has been planted late in the growing season."
What does a garden need to grow healthy vegetables?
What do our children need to grow healthy minds, hearts, and bodies?
Our Principal, Mrs. See, loves the parallels:
"A garden needs basic elements to thrive: water, air, sunlight, and good, nutrient-rich soil. How much more do our children need the basic elements of a "whole" education to thrive? They need to understand their great need for God as humans, and His great love for them, as His children. With Jesus at the center, He gives meaning and depth of insight into every subject we study.
What if a child aced their spelling test out of love for Jesus? What if a student kept persevering with a difficult algebra problem, because he learned in the Bible that, '...perseverance produces character; and character, hope.' (Romans 5:4)? What if a girl won a foot race in P.E. for the glory of God, pumping her legs quickly because she understood that her body was a 'temple of the Holy Spirit' (1 Corinthians 6:19)?
When children are planted in the whole truth about who they are, and who Christ is, their hearts are softened. They have the potential to thrive. When we leave Jesus out, education is nutrient-deficient and is stunted: just as a garden wilts under inadequate conditions. It is our heart, at PHCS, to provide your children with a "whole" education, in which they excel in their minds, hearts, and bodies, thriving to the glory of God.
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