School & Farms

A nourishing community

By Crystal Apilado

Editor-in-chief

Students at Waggoner Elementary School are getting their hands dirty helping out in the school garden, and then reaping multiple benefits from the harvest to experiencing the culture of the farm to fork movement.

“We concentrate on getting students to put fruits & vegetables on their plates - and then eat it,” said Cathy Olsen, Director of Food Service at Winters Joint Unified School District. “I love help ing the kids harvest, carry to the cafeteria and serve for lunch. They are so proud and love eating what they grow.”

The elementary school gardens (located at both Waggoner and Shirley Rominger Intermediate School) are open to all teach ers and students at those sites. Winters Farm to School board members and volun teers work in the gardens regularly with students.

In February, Winters Farm to School board memdents who bers and were relucduring Olsen nitant to try greens their took sem- ber Agu- on Asblymem Cecilia iar-Curry a tour of the ties,” Olsen said. Gloria Lopez, a Winters Farm to School board memto squeeze lemon on it, and how over the summer students helped harvest a case of cucumbers and Elementary season. According to Olsen, the Ag Site recently planted Waggoner garden ber, said one of their then enjoyed them for a large quanto show her the updates since her last visit. Upon entering the garden Agugoals for the area is to finish laying the decomposed granite and put in tables to create an outdoor classroom lunch. Waggoner also has an orange, lemon and small mandarin tree growing and productity of satsuma trees, and there is a goal for the trees to supply for all school supports iar-Curry notsetting. Lopez said ing on site. Students student meals ed the school garden gets better every year. Olsen said Aguiar-Curry has been working on Farm to School legislation and grants some teachers bring their students out to the garden for art and other outside activities, in addition to opportunities to work in the garden beds. A chalkboard has been mounted on one of the garden sheds with plans to communicate with students and staff of what can currently be harare allowed to pick and eat from the trees. Olsen said when students grow it and pick it they are curious to try tasting it, and tell their friends about it. While Waggoner students are able to enjoy tastes from around campus, the garden and citrus trees do not pro- duce at Winters JUSD. Lopez said it has been nice to be able to include the Winters FFA and Ag Site at the elementary schools to create connections. The day of the healthy nutrition and local farms to help other Districts tour the Waggoner start programs similar vestcafeteria served wato the one running in ed enough to protermelon radishes, Winters. and what garden vide food service orange and lemon

“Farm Direct Buytasks need to be comto the whole school. wedges and salad ing is our strength, pleted. The cafeterias are greens. Students are Winters is a leader “This garden is for supplied from local encouraged to take in purchasing direct everybody. Every kid farms, and the Wina fruit or vegetable from farms and purcan have access,” Loters High School Ag from the produce bar. chasing local propez said. Site. Currently, the Ag Olsen said while there duce. This supports Olsen shared how Site is able to provide is food waste, students our kids and commushe had taught stua variety of grapes are discovering and

trying new foods every day.

“If they don’t put it on their plate, they’re never going to eat it,” Olsen said.

Winters Farm to school is currently working to make local connections with community members to identify volunteers to help work in the gardens. Olsen and Farm to School board members are also working on trying to figure out where to relocate the Rominger garden with the recent approval from the Winters JUSD school board to construct a new three-classroom building on the current garden area.

Olsen said individuals or organizations who want to help with the upcoming Rominger garden move project, volunteer in or donate to the elementary school gardens can contact her at colsen@wintersjusd.org.

Garden donations can also be sent directly to Winters Farm to School, PO Box 611, Winters, CA 95694.

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NUMBERS

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30 percent never or rarely carry a credit card balance, 20 percent always do. 71 percent of homes are occupied by families. 78 percent of homeowners have a mortgage. 65 percent of those have no second mortgage or home equity loan. 24 percent of homeowners owning their house free and clear. 36 percent of households are renters. Renters tend to be new to town, with 20 percent moving to town between 2010 and 2014. Rental units tend to contract from $1,000 to $2,000, with a median rent of $1,069. Most renters spend between 15 and 35 percent of their income on rent, with a gross percentage of 13 percent of household income spent on rent.

There is an overall vacancy rate of about 5 percent.

The median home value is now $430,399 and expected to grow to $476,642 in the next five years. Most people, 56 percent, live in a home valued between $300,000 and $500,000. 15 percent live in homes valued at $1 million or more. 87 percent of housing units in the area are detached or single-family households. About 8 percent of units are attached to their neighbor and 5 percent of units as mobile homes.

The biggest boom in housing came in the 1980s, with 28 percent of all housing built in that time. Until this year, virtually no housing was built in Winters since 2010.

The latest generation of Esri’s data analysis approach uses 68 so-called “tapestry segmentations” to describe American neighborhoods. The top three tapestry segments according to Esri are “Urban Villages,” “Pleasantville” and “International Marketplace.” (A purview of data extended to a 10 or 25- mile radius reaches “Exurbanites” and “Soccer Moms” dominant segments).

Urban Village residents are multicultural, multigeneration

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al, and multilingual. They have a median age of 34 years old, an average household size of 3.78, and an annual income of $62,300. They tend to be trendy and fashion-con scious risk-takers. These consumers focus on their children and often maintain gardens.

They are open to trying new things. They are comfortable with technology and interested in the latest innovations. They are well connected with their smart phones, but more likely to shop in person. Their favorite stores are as diverse as they are, but include Costco, Trader Joe’s and Target.

Pleasantville couples are slightly older couples that move less than any other market. They have an average household size of 2.88, a median age of 43, and a median household income of $92,900. Many are empty-nesters; some have adult children. They tend to own older, single-family homes and maintain a standard of living with dual incomes.

Esri describes these consumers as cost-conscious and willing to spend more for quality and brands they like. They prefer fashion that is classic and timeless as opposed to trendy and typically consume all types of media equally (newspapers, magazines, radio, Internet and TV).

International Marketplace neighborhoods are rich blends of cultures, usually found in more densely populated areas than in Winters. Almost 40% of residents are foreign-born; and nearly 1 in 4 households are linguistically isolated. It’s a young, diverse family market with 41 percent of families having children (as either a married couple or single parent), plus married couples without children and a notable proportion of multi-generational households.

These are described by Esri as hard-working consumers, striving to get ahead, with both labor force participation rate of 67 percent that is higher than the US average and an unemployment rate that is also slightly higher, at 6 percent. They tend to prefer the Internet.

Maybe a data-based approach to Winters is no joke, afterall!

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