Juniors at Center Line Prep Get a Taste of Farming Life and Helping Others

Shovels and garden rakes scraped at the earth as students tended to the land. It was a different atmosphere than many juniors at Center Line Preparatory Academy have encountered previously, and they laughed as chickens strutted and pecked by their feet.
 
The junior class spent a day helping at Rising Stars Academy, a post-secondary school that provides learning opportunities for intellectually and developmentally disabled adults. The school operates a café and sells handmade items including woodworking pieces and crafts.

 
“They have a farm-to-table concept and prior to spring planting, they needed some help preparing the fields,” Center Line Reading Academic Specialist Dana McCarthy said.
 
The group pulled weeds, trimmed overgrown areas, and fed the chickens.


 
“Students will return a few more times this year to assist with planting crops from seed and again in the fall to help with the harvest,” McCarthy said. “What a great opportunity to grow as a community!”
 
Great work volunteering, Center Line!
About Center Line Preparatory Academy
Center Line Preparatory Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school in Center Line, Michigan, serving students in Young 5s through 12th grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies network, which includes more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.

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