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  • Helena students going green with gardening classes

Spring has sprung and a group of Helena students are taking advantage of the changing season. The News Station's Marnee Banks found out how students are learning while getting their hands a little dirty.

Five-year old Ashley Abbott is learning how to plant vegetables, and says, "I got the pot filled up with soil all by myself, and when it was flattened I just made little holes and bury it and after I made little holes I covered it up and punched it down."

Ashley is one of several students learning how to grow their own food, as Susan Held teaches kids from four elementary schools in the Jefferson School child care program.

Held explained, "It teaches them how to eat healthier, grow locally, buy fresh, and just teaches them overall how to care for their environment and themselves better."

Held received a grant from Eat Right Montana and is using the money to educate children on the importance of organic food.

For Ashley the lessons are hitting close to home, and she said, "When it's spring for a long time and flowers start to grow I am going to help my mommy plant vegetables, a lot of them." She was quick to clarify, "I'm not planting tomatoes, I hate tomatoes!"

Held has applied for a $10,000 grant from Hidden Valley. If she gets the grant she will build a habitat outside Jefferson Elementary.