Idaho Students Grow Kindness One Plant at a Time

In a small Idaho community, a group of high school students recently learned that some of life’s most important lessons can’t be found in a textbook.

Students from Lake Pend Oreille High School spent part of their final days of the school year delivering homegrown plants to the Bonner Community Food Bank, helping local families start gardens of their own while learning valuable lessons about service, responsibility, and kindness.

Growing Food—and Life Skills

The project was part of the school’s Teen Living class, taught by culinary arts instructor Rand Rosecrans.

Throughout the year, students grew vegetables and plants in the school’s greenhouse, including tomatoes, cucumbers, amaranth, and other garden favorites. Those plants were then donated to the food bank, where community members could take them home and grow fresh food for their families.

Rosecrans said the project is about much more than gardening.

“Part of my philosophy is that if you can give to your community, it will give back to you,” he explained.

Learning Through Service

For many students, the hands-on experience became one of the most memorable parts of their high school years.

Sophomore Juliet Mercer said Rosecrans taught students to look at life differently and encouraged them to be the person they wanted others to see.

Another student, Ash Lally, said she knew almost nothing about gardening before taking the class. Today, she grows her own garden at home thanks to skills she learned through the program.

The class combined practical life lessons with opportunities to serve others—an approach that many students found both meaningful and rewarding.

Helping Families Grow Their Own Food

The donated plants provide more than fresh vegetables.

According to Bonner Community Food Bank Executive Director Debbie Love, many families use the plants to establish gardens that eventually produce enough food to share back with the food bank, creating a cycle of generosity throughout the community.

Love also praised the students’ long-standing involvement in preparing community garden beds each spring, noting that their efforts have become a valued tradition.

The Power of Giving Back

As Rosecrans prepares to retire at the end of the school year, the Teen Living class will come to an end as well.

But its impact will continue through the students who learned not only how to grow food, but how to grow compassion.

In a world where kindness can sometimes feel in short supply, these students offered a simple reminder: one small act of service can plant seeds that continue growing long after the school year ends.