(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Primary school students have been presented with a trophy after growing a bumper crop of fruits and vegetables and learning about healthy lifestyles as part of Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar's (WCMC-Q) greenhouse initiative.
The students of Somaiya Primary Independent School were awarded the trophy for growing the best fruits and vegetables and for the creativity they showed in decorating their greenhouse, which was given to the school as part of WCMC-Q's Sahtak Awalan - Your Health First campaign.
The initiative, delivered in partnership with Supreme Education Council (SEC), has so far seen 40 elementary schools receive free greenhouses, gardening tools, seeds, plant pots, compost and growing instructions.
But it is constantly expanding and by the year-end, it is expected that about 70 schools will have greenhouses. It is hoped that every independent school will be included in the initiative.
The Your Health First team visited the school to present the students with the trophy after their greenhouse was judged to have produced the best crop of all schools in the scheme and the best decorated and maintained.
Shikha Nasser Alsahl, Director of the school, said, "The project complemented what they have been learning in science classes about healthy eating because they have seen in real life how nature provides healthy food for them.
"They loved seeing the food grow and went out every day to look after their plants. They did very well."
Grade 6 student Mayar Emad Nusair, 11, said,"We enjoyed learning about plants and how they can keep us healthy if we eat the right things. We also learned that plants give us life and if we look after plants then we are helping to look after our planet."
Fellow grade 6 student Hafsa Mohammed Tahir, 12, said, "Everyone knows that children like to eat fast food but we learned that fresh vegetables are nice and we need to eat them when we are young because we need nutritions to grow. My family is happy that I want to eat healthy food and they are helping me do it."
The students planted the seeds in September and tended them through the winter before harvesting them in February and taking them home to eat with their families.
They have grown a wide variety of produce, including tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, eggplants, peppers, radishes, arugula, parsley, cilantro and mint.
Second place winners was Jawaan bin Jassim School and Dukhan Independent School for Boys was placed third.
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