With crayons in hand and design lessons under their belts, fourth- and fifth-graders at George E. Jack Elementary School in Standish will set to designing their very own school garden.

On Tuesday, Jan. 29, Gina Marianacci of Carter Design Group in Buxton will teach a lesson at the school on the basic elements of design to prep the students for designing their ideal growing space.

The student created designs will then be used by the Carter Design Group to inspire and direct the design concept for the garden.

The garden will be built this spring and will be used primarily for growing organic vegetables for use in school meals and for donation to the local emergency food system. The garden is part of a larger project called the Saco Valley Food Connections, a program of Rippling Waters Farm in Standish, committed to increasing local food security and linking farms with schools and the wider community, to provide education and activism around food-related issues.

The Carter Design Group, a landscape and home building design firm, has agreed to design the approximately 40 feet by 100 feet space as a gift to current and future students at George E. Jack Elementary School.

Ted Carter of Carter Design Group said his desire to contribute to this project stems from the love of nature he discovered as a child.

“As a child I spent countless hours outside on a monkey swing, playing in the sand box, the tree forts in the neighborhood and pushing kids in the wagon. Each day was new and fresh. Many people are concerned that the children of today do not interact with nature as they once did.”

“I can’t think of a better way for people to integrate into nature than designing and working in a garden,” said Carter, who has been designing and installing creative landscapes for over 30 years.