During the month of April, retired Salmon River teacher Bruce Bonesteel visited St. Regis Mohawk School to share his knowledge about planting seeds with students.

Mr. Bonesteel, who owns Bonesteel’s Gardening Center in Bangor, showed plants at various stages of growth and gave students pole beans to take home. He also left some seeds behind to plant in the school’s growing station.

Students and teachers learned about the four essential needs of plants: light, soil, water and warmth. Mr. Bonesteel also spoke about the importance of the three sisters when it comes to corn, beans and squash.

During Mr. Bonesteel’s visits to the school, students asked him questions and made their own growing predictions. As Spring progresses, students will have the opportunity to monitor their seedlings sprout and eventually eat the produce they grew themselves.

Classes read the Agricultural Literacy Week story “Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table” in conjunction with Mr. Bonesteel’s visit. The book highlights the vision of a former basketball star to grow healthy food in order to feed everyone in his community.

The students who took part in this month’s presentations were very grateful to Mr. Bonesteel for volunteering his time to teach them all about planting.