Rock Island-Milan School District #41 and Thurgood Marshall Learning Center are proud to announce a collaboration with the University of Illinois Extension focused on growing fresh fruits and vegetables.
“Our scholars will grow fresh fruits and vegetables, and then we will disseminate those fresh fruits and vegetables to the community,” said Principal Mario Sherrell. “We hope this becomes a shared space where scholars, families, and the community can grow together.”
That vision of a shared, community-centered growing space is rooted in a much larger reality facing the surrounding neighborhood. While the project creates hands-on learning opportunities for scholars, it also directly addresses a significant gap in access to fresh, healthy food.
Mitchell Walker, Program Coordinator for University of Illinois Extension and liaison for this collaboration, emphasized both the urgency of the issue and the opportunity this initiative represents. “One food garden in the West End of Rock Island is not going to solve food insecurity in this neighborhood,” Walker said. “If we can create a space that can promote it and show people how it can be done, hopefully that'll have the domino effect of other people doing more community-minded projects, starting more gardens, and getting more food in the neighborhood.”
That broader perspective highlights how this work extends far beyond a single site. While the garden will immediately benefit those directly involved, its larger purpose is to serve as a model – one that inspires replication, strengthens community engagement, and builds momentum toward sustainable change.
“Through this partnership, I can see scholars taking on what I consider a civic responsibility, realizing that this area is a food desert,” added Principal Sherrell. “This opportunity provides our scholars with space to bring fresh fruits and vegetables to their community. Our scholars are engaged in something that matters, and that matters to them in their community.”
This initiative advances Priorities 4 and 5 of our Strategic Plan by strengthening community partnerships through the removal of barriers, expanded engagement strategies, and increased access to relevant resources, while also fostering meaningful relationships across the school community through stronger scholar-to-scholar connections, deeper trust between families and district team members, and enhanced opportunities to build collaborative, resource-connected partnerships.
Through this work, the district continues to follow through on initiatives that reinforce the importance of positive relationships, ultimately empowering scholars to reach their highest potential.