WVSU Extension Service began offering the Junior Master Gardener (JMG) program in 2004 to students at Buffalo Elementary School in Putnam County.

The student group is comprised of 34 students who recently finished their fourth grade year and will continue the program during their fifth grade year in the 2004-2005 school term. By the end of that term, the students will have achieved their Certified Junior Master Gardener status.

The mission of the JMG program, created by the Extension Services of Texas A&M, is "to grow good kids through igniting a passion for learning, success, and service." The program engages children in novel, "hands-on" group and individual learning experiences that promote a love of gardening, develop an appreciation for the environment, and cultivate the mind.

Activities at Buffalo have included the creation of a greenhouse on the school grounds containing plants that the students are currently caring for, and a garden hose cutting ceremony including a speech by the State Agricultural Commissioner Gus Douglass to celebrate the start of the program.

"The most rewarding part of the JMG program is working with the students," says Melissa Stewart, Agricultural and Natural Resource Extension Agent. "The other day, a student made the comment that he wants to go to school for Horticulture when he grows up. There isn’t a better compliment that could be paid to this program."

The program at Buffalo is the first for WVSU Extension Service, with expansion plans in development. For more information, please call (304) 766-5711 or 1-866-WV-STATE.

Locations

For more information about our locations or to bring activities to your school, call West Virginia State University Extension Service at (304)766-5711 or 1-866-WVSTATE.

Forms

For more information about available forms, call West Virginia State University Extension Service at (304)766-5711 or 1-866-WVSTATE.