Pu Ding Elementary School ‘Happy Rice’ – Uniting the community and school

At Pu Ding Elembentary School in Xinwu Township, Taoyuan County, teachers and students combined account for less than 200 people. Just five years ago, the school faced the dilemma of insufficient enrollment. At a previous school celebration event where local farmers held competitions, Liu Yun-jie, the school principle at the time, had the idea of fusing together the local agriculture of rice growing and the school’s environmental education syllabus. Long-time local organic rice farmer Huang De-gui (黃德桂) and farm owner Chen Jing-you (陳景幼), assisted the school in designing and promoting the children’s rice growing activities.  

In response to the event’s wonderful success in the first year, the school decided to make it an annual affair. The activity became a part of the school syllabus and a partnership deal was struck with a 50-year-old local rice mill. The students’ annual harvest nets them around 1000 Taiwanese catties (0.6 Kg) of brown rice, which is packaged and sold in 0.6 Kg bags; profit from the rice is used to subsidize school meals for children from disadvantaged families. Designed by the school’s students, the packaging depicts the whole rice-growing process, from planting the rice seedlings to harvesting. Wishing everyone health and happiness, the children thought up the apt brand name, ‘Happy Rice.”

Pu Ding Elementary School ‘Happy Rice’ – Uniting the community and school
URL:http://www.peopo.org/news/233295

埔頂國小「有樂米」　凝聚社區與學校

桃園縣新屋鄉埔頂國小全校師生不到兩百人，五年前埔頂國小面臨到招生不足的困境。一次校慶活動中，結合農家體驗舉辦比賽，讓當時的校長劉雲傑有了將社區產業種稻與學校環境教育結合的發想。當地長期經營有機農業的黃德桂與一名農場主人陳景幼，大力協助埔頂國小設計、推動學童種稻體驗活動。

因為第一次種稻體驗相當成功，學校決定每年續辦，並從活動層面轉變成學校的本位課程，之後並與當地有五十年歷史的碾米廠合作，學生們一年的種稻成果打成糙米後大約一千台斤左右，每台斤包成一包，將這一千多包糙米義賣，所得便用以補助學校弱勢學生營養午餐的費用。學生自己設計包裝，把插秧、收割實況都畫在包裝袋上，學生把自己種出來的稻米取名「有樂米」，希望吃出健康快樂。