South American Division

Students Plant Lettuce and Distribute Them to the Community in Curitiba

Vegetables were grown as a result of geography and religious education classes

November 21, 2021

Paraná, Brazil

Letícia Alves

The lettuce were planted in September and cultivated since then by first-year students [Photo Courtesy of the South American Division]

Since 2019, Boqueirão Adventist College (CAB), in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil, has been developing an urban garden project with students. This year, they planted and harvested 400 {heads of lettuce?}. The whole process was the result of geography and religious education classes.

Students actively participated in the stages and saw in practice what they learned in the classroom. "When you turn theory into practice, they are interested and buy the idea," explains Luiz Halama, geography professor.

Students display harvest results at school [Photo Courtesy of the South American Division]

As the geography content of the third and fourth quarters of the first year involved agriculture, the project demonstrated that the concepts of the discipline and other topics were experienced beyond theory. "We were able to review important content, such as soil conditions for agrarian production, climate issues, seasons and how they interfere with food production in southern Brazil," Halama details.

The vegetable garden created by high school students of the institution began its activities in September. In November, they had the opportunity to harvest and distribute vegetables in nursing homes. "There was an effort from each of us; all this in favor of a goal: to have this beautiful vegetable garden," says student Afonso Simião.

From the Classroom to Practical Application

The vegetable garden also provided applications in religious education classes. "We work mainly on parables, but we learned several lessons on the spiritual issue and how Jesus used nature to teach spiritual truths in the context he lived," says Pastor Renato Telles, chaplain of the college.

The project left school and reflected in society. "They put geography into practice, and another important point is social. They have been working here since the beginning of the process and now share it with society," points out Pierre Belo, deputy director of CAB.

In the delivery, the students showed joy and satisfaction in doing good to others with something that was the result of their own effort. "We watered and worked every day, and today we went to distribute in homes," adds student Lorenzo Lopes.

This article was originally published on the South American Division’s Portuguese news site