The Thetford Elementary School garden began with seven 8′x4′ raised beds in 2006 which were installed by the school nurse, Joette Hayashigawa, and her husband.  The hope was to create an environment which promotes health and nutrition,  as well as increase the students exposure to fresh foods.

In 2007, the school connected with Cedar Circle Farm and Education Center whose  Education Coordinator, Cat Buxton has since been the  school  garden manager.  Cat has helped to build a program based on the curricular needs of the primary grades and the realistic vegetable needs of the cafeteria.  There are three themed gardens consisting of two beds each: Kindergarten- Rainbow Sensory Garden; 1st Grade- Three Sister’s Garden; and the 2nd Grade- Pollinator Garden.  Farm staff built a small removable hoophouse over the seventh  raised bed from which the school Chef now harvests her first and last greens of the year.

Each year the students start and care for seeds in the classroom, plant the garden in June, and enjoy garden learning activities and harvesting in the fall. The students also visit the farm every Spring and Fall to firm up the connections between the classroom, cafeteria, and the community. Over the summer volunteer parents, summer school students,  community members and the school Chef help Cat to maintain the garden  and to freeze the summers bounty.

In 2011, as a part of an exciting ongoing project to improve the school grounds and produce more food on site, the school garden will expand to include six new raised beds that will house the Primary Grade Theme Gardens. The original raised beds will be transformed in to production gardens grown to order by the Chef.