ROCHESTER, Minn. (AP) — A local school program is sowing seeds of education outside the classroom.

The Green Thumb Initiative, a Rochester Alternative Learning Center program, is teaching students real-world skills through gardening, grant writing and beekeeping. Program coordinators say the work encourages leadership and prepares students for life after graduation.

The program was founded by Rochester ALC teachers Kathryn Sloan and Liz Quackenbush in 2015, and offers English and science credit to those participating in the course during the school year, the Post-Bulletin (http://bit.ly/2tZZXLX ) reports.

About 20 students participate in the course during the school year, while roughly 10 students stick around for the summer.

"We're trying to get more kids excited about it and involved in it so that we can continue to grow," said Sloan, a Rochester ALC English teacher.

The work is conducted in a field next to Channel One Regional Food Bank, where students experience real-life examples of science through gardening and beekeeping.

Students hone their English skills by writing grant proposals for program funding. The Green Thumb Initiative has received funding from organizations including the Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP), the Rochester Area Foundation and Blue Cross Blue Shield. The Rochester Area Foundation awarded a roughly $12,000 grant to the program in April to help fund supplies and equipment.

"It all came from the fact that we wanted hands-on, experience-based learning to integrate science and English," said Quackenbush, a Rochester ALC science teacher.

Students who've stuck around through the program's second year have witnessed the results of their hard work, said John Rud, Rochester ALC science teacher and Green Thumb Initiative collaborator.

"It's something as simple as digging potatoes. They go absolutely nuts," Rud said. "It's like finding gold."

For many students, the program offers a sense of fulfillment they've never experienced. Many Rochester ALC students wrestle with personal issues, such as academic struggles, Sloan said.

"A lot of our kids, they have a lot of starts and stops," she said.

Through the Green Thumb Initiative, students have developed the confidence and commitment needed for future success, Quackenbush said.

"We want to give these kids practical skills that can go on applications so that they're employable when they leave high school," she said.

Many of the students also lack access to healthy food, Quackenbush said, so some of the garden's produce is sent home with them. Other produce is donated to Channel One Regional Food Bank and the Salvation Army.

The program aims to promote food equity, Quackenbush said, rather than selling the produce to those who can already afford it.

Food equity is one reason why SHIP has funded the program, said Jo Anne Judge-Dietz, SHIP school coordinator for Olmsted County.

"We really try to support the schools in the neighborhoods where families deal with more poverty because their health outcomes are worse than others in our community," Judge-Dietz said.

Rud said they eventually want to get produce from the garden into the school's cafeteria — but there are some roadblocks to pass first.

"The state has barriers that are ridiculous to getting it done," Rud said. "They have some really stringent policies on how it has to be handled, how it has to be cleaned, how it has to be stored."

Quackenbush said they're currently working on becoming certified food handlers to bypass some of the barriers.

Ultimately, Quackenbush and Sloan said they hope the program can help shift the perception of Rochester ALC.

"It's not for kids with continued failure, it's for kids that are doing wonderful things through our garden program," Quackenbush said.

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Information from: Post-Bulletin, http://www.postbulletin.com