As school vegetable gardens gain momentum in the valley, one is receiving national attention.

Wednesday and Thursday marked the third year that Whitefish seventh- and eighth- graders have harvested the Lions Club Farm-to-School Garden. Their efforts were filmed by a four-person Chicago crew.

The film crew was hired by Lions Club International to produce a three- to four-minute documentary on the garden initiative by capturing the process of turning the vegetables into school lunches through the partnership between the district and Whitefish Lions Club.

Kristopher Kempski, a Lions Club International public relations specialist, said the garden is a unique project for the service club, which is known for its sight and international relations programs.

“This is a very full project. It incorporates education, health, nutrition and working with youth,” Kempski said.

 Lions Club International posts several videos during the year as an opportunity for people to learn what clubs are doing. Kempski said it might take a year before the video is posted online at www.lionsclub.org.

On Wednesday morning, the film crew recorded a group of students washing and piling squash into the back of a pickup truck. A crewmember directed 12-year-old Sierra Bruce to place her squash at the top of the pile as she walked over to the truck. Bruce was part of one of four groups of seventh-graders coming during Scot Ferda’s physical education classes to pick vegetables.

“We golf, bowl and now we pick potatoes,” Ferda said with a smile.

In the trenches of dirt and potato plants, Ferda demonstrated how to pick the Yukon gold and red tubers.

“Take your time — you don’t want to miss any potatoes. Dig all the way around the potato plant. Usually in every one of these [plants] there are five to 10 potatoes,” Ferda said.

Students were grouped as diggers, pickers and washers. Twelve-year-old Ben Derov took no time in choosing to be a digger by picking up a garden fork and plunging it around a potato cluster to loosen the dirt.

In addition to potatoes and squash, produce from the garden includes cucumbers, zucchini, cabbage and broccoli, which will be used in school lunches by Jay Stagg, Whitefish School District food service director well into March, according to Whitefish Middle School Principal Josh Branstetter.

The garden plot is located next to Don K Chevrolet. The business helped sponsor the garden by allotting about 3 acres for the project. Carquest Auto Parts provided water from its well.

Greg Shaffer, president of the Whitefish Lions Club, said the organization is hoping someone will donate property near the school to move the garden closer and make it more accessible to students.

“This is a legacy project we hope to continue for many years,” Shaffer said.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or by email at [email protected].