Triskeles regretfully says ‘Goodbye’ to Jim (Dr. James) Melchor, principal at North Coventry Elementary School, where we have been assisting in the creation of some great garden beds, as readers have seen. A December article in the Chester County CCIU ‘Kids News’ (linked at right) quoted Jim on the garden, “The garden program has been a great way to involve all students in thinking about healthy food choices — from deciding on the plants to be grown, measuring the beds to decide how much to plant, testing the soil and, of course, experiencing new flavors fresh from the garden beds.”

We would add that it has been great working with a school with enlightened leadership, Jim and Dr. Deb and the teachers, who are willing to create time in their students’ schedules for meaningful and vital experiential educational activities. The day that young people lose their connections with the natural world, especially the world of growing plants, must never come. Understanding the ‘food system’, from seed to compost, is part of a healthy lifestyle.

Years from now, these students will have connections with the plant kingdom which they otherwise might have missed. Good luck in your future journies, Dr. James, from the staff at Triskeles.  (And we understand that an enlightened replacement has been found, coming from the Barclay School in Phoenixville–which many of our wonderful Side by Side kids call home.)