By DOUG GRAVES
Ohio Correspondent

LOVELAND, Ohio —  Roberta Paola – most just call her “Granny” – started a school garden program on the grounds of a primary and elementary school in quaint Loveland about six years ago. Her program, Granny’s Garden School, was among the pioneers in this school gardens venture sweeping the tri-state area.

Today her efforts have blossomed and now covers southern Ohio; so successful is her garden program that she’s formed The Southern Ohio Schoolyard Nature Network, operating under the umbrella of Granny’s Garden School.

“The purpose of this network is to support the development and sustainability of hands-on learning experiences for children through plant-based programs, that is, school gardens and other nature-focused programs,” Paola said. “The network supports the people who are developing the programs through how-to workshops and networking opportunities.”

Paola offers workshops for educators considering establishing a school garden program. The workshop, “Introduction to Establishing a Plant Based Environmental Education Program on School Grounds,” includes a tour of the school gardens in Loveland, an overview of how gardens and educational components support each other and the nuts and bolts of establishing and maintaining a school garden.

Paola offers a series of monthly workshops regarding various aspects of establishing and operating a school garden program. She recently held two workshops in Phoenix, Ariz., but her concentration is on southern Ohio. Paola has learned quickly about competition as well.

“The past year alone, there has been a huge wave of interest in school garden programs across the country and especially here in the Cincinnati area,” she said. “With all the government money available some companies out there are saying they’ll help form a program for a small fee. At one time the school garden idea was new, unusual and newsworthy. Now they’re a dime a dozen.”
Paola’s business is headquartered at Loveland Primary and Elementary Schools in Loveland. She is assisted by two full-time employees and one part-time worker.

“We’ve had more than 200 educators from about 100 institutions come through and tour the gardens,” Paola said. “In February alone we had 20 educators come through, and they are in various stages of starting programs at their schools.

“Our goal is to give them the facts and share what we have learned along the way and not simply duplicate the Granny program.”

Paola stresses that no two garden ideas are alike. “Each situation comes with its own set of circumstances and resources,” she said. “We tell others to look at their resources available and utilize those resources to get things started.”

For more information about Granny’s Garden School, call 513-324-2873 or e-mail schoolgarden@fuse.net