By CHEYENNE WELLS/For the Reporter

COLUMBIANA – In May, Shelby County High FFA members established the Shelby County FFA educational garden. FFA students tilled, planted, maintained and collected the produce throughout the summer of 2013. The garden produced okra, tomatoes, peppers, beans and peas on the land borrowed from the Baptist Association in Columbiana. Throughout the year the products harvested were donated to the Baptist Association, Senior Center and our local community.

Of course, the donations would not have been possible without the support from Mr. Gene Rogers, the principal of Shelby County High School; Mrs. Barbra Snyder, the assistant principal of Shelby County High School; and Mrs. Rene Day, the career tech director for Shelby County Schools.

Columbiana Mayor Stancil Handley also contributed and supported FFA members throughout the establishment of the educational garden Dustin Cleckler, the Shelby County FFA advisor, was a major contributor to the garden as well. He came out every day along with the other members to help care for the garden.

If it weren’t for these very important people, the garden would have not been able to produce and donate to the community. This experience taught students responsibility by remembering to go check on the garden everyday and picking what needed to be picked. The students put forth hard work and effort into keeping the garden alive so families wouldn’t go without food any longer.

By this, the students gained character by realizing hard work pays off. By keeping up with the garden, some students gained a sense of reality by getting their hands dirty and finding out where their food actually comes from. Now they know where their food comes from, which gives a certain respect for our agriculture here in Columbiana.

Cheyenne Wells is a student at Shelby County High School and reporter for the Shelby County High FFA.