On June 29, several West Feliciana Saints Football Players made their way back to Bains Lower Elementary (BLE) this time to help with planting.
Lanya Mayer, BLE Play 60 Coach, thought it would be wonderful if the school could grow its own pumpkins for their annual Fall Fest celebration. She also thought it would be great if there would be cucumbers waiting to be harvested and sampled once school started in August. So, when Hudson Fuller, West Feliciana High School Head Football Coach, contacted Layne Langley, LSU AgCenter Area Nutrition Agent, looking for a community service opportunity for his team, they arranged not only for his football team to come out to both BLE and Bains Elementary to clear the school garden beds but also for some of them to return a couple weeks later to help with planting. And they did just that! After football practice on June 29, a number of West Feliciana Saints met at the BLE school garden to work with Mayer and Langley. The players helped guide the Project Success students with planting cucumber and squash plants and pumpkin seeds. The students were excited to plant in the garden alongside the West Fel Saints. It was heart-warming to see the players and children working together!
Many thanks to Coach Fuller for arranging this community service project. Hats off to the West Fel Saints who volunteered their time! Special thanks to Master Gardener Julie Doucet for her donation of cucumber and squash plants and to Ins and Outs for their donation of cucumber plants.
For more information about nutrition programs including school garden programs in West Feliciana Parish, contact Layne Langley at 225-635-3614.
Deondre Joseph holds a cucumber plant while this student digs a hole to plant it.
Jean-Marc Monceret shows the Project Success students how to weave the cucumber plant in order to train it so that the plant can producelarger yeilds and take up less space.
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work!! West Feliciana Saints Football Players (left to right): Jeremy Fowler, Aiden Dornquast, Ryan Ethridge, Ben Grantham, Andrew Schwartz, Coach Fuller, Deondre Joseph, Jontre Cummings, and Jean-Marc Monceret stand with the Project Success students after planting cucumber and squash plants and pumpkin seeds. Not pictured: BB Green, Court Dubois, and Caleb Stuart.
The LSU AgCenter and the LSU College of Agriculture