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    Beans, Greens & Grades
    Beans, Greens & Grades
    Beans, Greens & Grades
    Ebook197 pages1 hour

    Beans, Greens & Grades

    By D.S. Venetta

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    About this ebook

    Lexi and Jason Williams take center stage at school when Principal Gordon enlists their help to establish a school garden at Beacon Academy. The kids are thrilled to be selected as Green Ambassadors for this important project, but quickly learn how challenging it can be to work with others toward a common goal. Not only must they teach their fellow students how to garden, Lexi and Jason feel the pressure to make it fun and exciting (or become known as “The Most Boring Gardeners Ever” in school history). When the principal reveals a generous amount of grant money has been offered to continue the green program if the children succeed, the stakes rise.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDianne Venetta
    Release dateJun 22, 2016
    ISBN9780996439152
    Beans, Greens & Grades
    Author

    D.S. Venetta

    D.S. Venetta lives in Central Florida with her husband and two children and part-time Yellow Lab—Cody-body! When not whacking away at her keyboard crafting her next novel or spending time with her kids, you'll find her in her organic garden chasing grasshoppers and plucking hornworms. When she's not knee-deep in dirt or her imagination, D.S. Venetta contributes gardening advice for various websites and schools. It’s a busy life to be sure, but at the end of the day, if she can inspire someone to stop and smell the roses (or rosemary!) and be kind to Mother Earth then she's done all right.

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      Book preview

      Beans, Greens & Grades - D.S. Venetta

      Jason Williams walked into the principal’s office of Beacon Academy and stopped suddenly. His sister, Lexi, was seated in a chair against the wall next to a fake potted plant. He gulped. You, too?

      She nodded.

      What did you do?

      Me? Lexi snorted. "What did you do? You have be the reason I’m here, because I didn’t do anything wrong!"

      Heart racing, Jason plodded over and dropped to a seat beside her. "Me, neither, I swear. He peered into her heated gaze. What do you think it could be?"

      I don’t know, but that woman keeps staring at me and it’s making me uncomfortable.

      Jason looked across the room. Sure enough, the lady sitting behind a massive wooden desk stared at him, too. Pulling his gaze from her, he whispered to Lexi, At least she doesn’t look mad. That’s a good sign, right?

      Lexi glared and crossed her arms over her chest. "Let’s hope so. Mom and Dad will not be happy if they get a phone call from the school."

      The door to Principal Gordon’s office opened and Jason’s heart thudded against his ribs.

      The Williams children are here to see you, the woman announced.

      The principal walked out and paused. Tall and on the plump side, Principal Gordon stared at the two of them through a pair of thick glasses. Good, he replied, his voice low and deep. Will you two please come into my office?

      Jason rose with shaky legs. Yeeee-sssir.

      Lexi popped up next to him but made no reply.

      Principal Gordon stepped aside and swept a hand out in front of him, gesturing for the children to enter ahead of him. Jason had never been this close to the principal before, and it scared him to think what might come next. He’d heard the stories. Kids were lectured, put on detention, even sent home from school. Is that what the principal planned to do to the two of them? Was he going to call their parents and demand they come get him and Lexi?

      Inside the office, a woman stood next to the principal’s desk. Holding her hands behind her back, she was dressed in a green suit and high heels. She didn’t look like a teacher. She appeared more like the principal. All business.

      Who was she? Was she the reason they were here?

      Principal Gordon closed the door, and Jason felt trapped. His gaze darted about the room. There were no windows, no means of escape. He gulped again, but this time his throat felt dry and scratchy. This couldn’t be good.

      Please, have a seat, the principal told them.

      Jason noted there were two empty chairs. He looked to Lexi. Her eyes were rounded and her lips set into a firm line. Good to know he wasn’t the only one scared to be here!

      Lexi sat in the chair closest to the woman. Jason took the other. He licked his lips and looked around the office, avoiding eye contact with the strange woman. Maybe they had the wrong kids. Maybe this was all some kind of terrible mistake.

      I’m sure you’re wondering why I called you two to my office, Principal Gordon began, pulling a seat from the corner for the woman before lowering his large body into a cushioned leather chair behind his desk. Settling in, he laced his fingers together and perched them on the desktop. He stared at Jason and Lexi. Neither said a word. This is Mrs. Collins, Principal Gordon said. She’s from the Collins Foundation and would like to speak with you.

      Lexi blurted, To us? But why? We haven’t done anything wrong.

      Good question, Jason thought. Why us?

      Mrs. Collins smiled brightly. I understand you two children won the Farmer’s Market Garden Contest over the summer. Is that right?

      Jason and Lexi exchanged a hesitant glance before his sister responded, Yes, we did.

      That’s quite an achievement, Mrs. Collins said. Do you know a lot about gardening?

      Yes, Jason replied, no longer concerned he was in trouble. Maybe she wanted to give them an award or something. Maybe she wanted to give them money! Images of the neon green soccer cleats he bought with the farmer’s market winner’s check popped into his brain. They were so cool, and made him run twice as fast on the field. He sure could use another pair... We know a lot about gardening—why?

      Well... she began, shifting her weight in her chair to face them more fully. My foundation is interested in spearheading a school garden initiative in your area, and we’d like you and your sister to be our Green Ambassadors.

      Initiative. Ambassadors. Jason gaped. What did all that mean?

      Lexi sat a little straighter and asked, What would we have to do?

      You would help your fellow students start a garden here at school. Because you and your brother have experience, Principal Gordon thought it would be a good idea to assign you two as team leaders.

      Yes! Jason exclaimed.

      Principal Gordon frowned at the outburst.

      Lexi flashed Jason an I-can’t-believe-you-just-did-that look.

      He shrank back into his chair—but not too far. He wanted to hear more, like how he was going to be the boss of his fellow students!

      I’m glad to see you’re excited, Mrs. Collins said. I think the project will be a lot of fun, but we must get started right away so you’ll have time for harvest before the end of school. Some schools will have to grow their plants inside, but not yours. You kids are fortunate to live in an area where you can grow from spring through fall.

      Well, Jason didn’t know if he’d call that lucky, but the warmer temperatures allowed him a ton of time outside to play ball.

      Yes, Principal Gordon spoke up, schools from all over the country are participating in the program, and I want Beacon Academy to be the shining star we all know it to be and take the top prize.

      Jason gulped. He glanced between the two adults. No one said anything about a competition. What if they lost? Would he be held responsible as team leader?

      Lexi echoed her brother’s concern. This is a contest?

      Mrs. Collins smiled. Not really, but we will recognize outstanding achievements in gardening. At the end of the school year, each school will send us photographs of their garden. A panel of judges will look at them and decide which ones are worthy of special recognition. We also plan to visit some of the gardens.

      So this is kinda like the farmer’s market contest we won, only at school.

      Yes, very similar, Mrs. Collins replied. Our goal is to share your garden experience with other schools and encourage them to join our program. For those students who have demonstrated outstanding progress, the Collins Foundation will award financial grants to help the schools continue their gardens.

      Principal Gordon cleared his throat, but said nothing.

      He didn’t have to. Jason understood. He expected Beacon Academy to win.

      Lexi tapped a finger to her lips and said, So you want Jason and me to show the other kids how to grow vegetables and then send you pictures of what we grew so we might win money for our school garden to continue?

      Mrs. Collins beamed. Yes, that about sums it up.

      Do we get a grade for this? Jason asked.

      Not a grade, Principal Gordon answered sternly and looked at Jason over the rim of his glasses. "But I will be monitoring your progress and expect your best effort in the garden."

      Mrs. Collins smiled sweetly. We’d also like you to share your harvest with your local food bank. By helping to feed the hungry, you will become good stewards of your community.

      Lexi blinked. Wow. You mean we could help starving people by growing vegetables?

      Absolutely. Mrs. Collins paused. Many young people don’t realize how much work it takes to put food on their grocer’s shelves or how fortunate they are to have enough food to eat. By taking part from the ground up, we at the Collins Foundation hope to help you understand the farm-to-table connection, as well as encourage a sense of community by sharing with those less fortunate.

      Jason was stunned. Who didn’t know where vegetables came from? And feed the hungry? He glanced at Principal Gordon. Jason had never met a hungry person before. And now he could help one?

      So what do you say? Mrs. Collins asked. Are you kids in? Will you be the Green Ambassadors for Beacon Academy?

      Yes! Jason replied at once.

      Sure, Lexi replied, a smile forming on her lips. You can count on us.

      Mrs. Collins clasped her hands together. Wonderful! I’ll need a list from you two itemizing what you’ll need to begin, and then we can get the paperwork started.

      You can meet with student council members tomorrow after school, Principal Gordon said. Together, you all will create a plan for our garden, including what we should grow, where it should be located, and who shall participate. I’ve already added you two to their agenda.

      *****

      When the school bus dropped Lexi and her brother at

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