Earlier this week, roughly 100 volunteers worked together to help a community legacy take root at Kalispell Middle School as they planted a new fruit orchard.
The school was one of 20 winners in the national Dreyer’s “Communities Take Root” competition, earning 30,726 online votes. Through the program, KMS is now home to Grace Orchard: Nourishing Connections at KMS.
Allison Mitchell, a middle school librarian who helped spearhead the school’s participation in the contest, said the weather held up perfectly for the June 18 orchard planting.
“It went amazingly well,” Mitchell said. “I think we had over 100 volunteers.”
Students helped plant the fruit trees, which will produce a variety of fruit for the students to eat and give to local food banks. Thanks in part to parental supervision, Mitchell said the students worked hard and it wasn’t just a “crazy hang-out time.”
Each team of volunteers planted one tree, and the teams’ work ethic led to a quick afternoon of digging in the dirt.
“Many hands make light work,” Mitchell said. “We could have been planting trees for four hours and it took literally an hour.”
Though some of the trees had tiny apples on them, a representative from the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation told the school that the trees need three to four years to build strong root systems and branches before they should be allowed to bear fruit.
That meant significant pruning, which was a bit hard to watch, Mitchell said, but it will be worth it because the orchard will last longer if given time to grow its foundation. And each tree is hooked to its own watering station, which directs water to the roots.
Mitchell announced the school’s victory over the PA system before class let out for the summer, and said that teachers told her the students were cheering in their classrooms. The orchard will allow them to connect to their food and their community, Mitchell said.
“I think in year four or five we’re allowed to bear fruit and go for it,” she said.
For more information on the Communities Take Root program, visit www.communitiestakeroot.com.