Last fall, Vanguard Collegiate of Indianapolis scholars got into a gardening groove planting turnips, carrots and more at Public Greens. Recently, our fifth and sixth graders enjoyed another field trip tied to this original harvest; our scholars got to reap what they sowed. 

14 of our scholars visited The Patachou Foundation to get hands-on in the kitchen. It was a full circle moment. From planting vegetables in the fall in our Vanguard garden plot — to cleaning, trimming, slicing and dicing fresh vegetables now in the spring; our scholars got to see and feel the fruits of their labor! 

Before getting to test their knife skills, our scholars learned about the parts of a plant and how every plant has a role to play. Our scholars got hands on with baby carrots, cilantro, edible flowers, avocados, and limes. We learned about seasoning with garlic powder, chili powder, salt and pepper. Our scholars used mortars and pestles to make our final product. Can you guess from these ingredients what it was? 

Guacamole! 

Vanguard Collegiate of Indianapolis scholar making guacamole during a field trip

Pollinators are our Friends 

Our scholars also learned about the roles of bugs on a farm and the hard work pollinators do every day. We looked closely at a bee suit, dead bugs, and hive pieces. 

Vanguard Collegiate of Indianapolis and field trip materials like hive pieces and bee jacket

Last but not least, Chef Twinkle taught our scholars knife skills. And wow did they learn fast! This time the menu items were spring rolls. And Chef needed help dicing some veggies. Check out our scholars in action:

Other ingredients used for these tasty spring rolls include bits of chicken, carrots, noodles, lettuce and sweet thai chili sauce. Sweet is right! 

Field Trips are Learning Opportunities 

In one field trip, we curated valuable exposure to the natural world, to exciting careers in the culinary industry and to Math. Math is required to complete any recipe — from the ingredients and seasoning for just the right tang to our guac, to the chicken-to-lettuce-to chili sauce ratio in our spring rolls.  

Vanguard Collegiate of Indianapolis and scholar making spring rolls with Chef Twinkle

Feeding future generations for years to come is one of the noblest and most needed of pursuits. Perhaps this informative hands-on day of learning sparked a future career for one of our Vanguards — leaders in thought, word and action.

Heartfelt thank yous to Public Greens, Cafe Patachou and The Patachou Foundation, Chef Twinkle and the rest of the team who taught us to love our vegetables and enjoy making recipes together, safely  —  Myriah, Kate, Cassie, Leigh and Anya. Public Greens is a modern cafeteria run by chefs with food from farms. Part of the mission of Public Greens is to support and share profits with The Patachou Foundation. The Patachou Foundation is committed to serving nutrient dense, scratch-made meals to children in our community.  They are also the delicious and nutritious lunch vendor for our Vanguard Collegiate of Indianapolis tuition-free public middle school. Join us at future field trips by enrolling your 5th or 8th grader now! 

 

About Vanguard

Vanguard Collegiate of Indianapolis is unapologetically focused on the academic success of our scholars, our fifth to eighth grade students.  Situated in Central Indianapolis, we provide high-quality instruction, rigorous curriculum, and supportive character development. We create pathways to college success and to becoming leaders in thought, word, and action. Be a Vanguard, today