Contact: Jack Bailey (304) 766-4109
INSTITUTE, W.Va. — West Virginia State University (WVSU) Extension Service 4-H Educator Tiffany Ward has been named State Coordinator for the Junior Master Gardener (JMG) program.
The Junior Master Gardener program is an international youth gardening program designed to engage children in hands-on group and individual learning experiences that provide a love of gardening, develop an appreciation for the environment, and cultivate the mind.
Ward was named State Coordinator for JMG on Sept. 28. She began working as an extension educator for WVSU Extension Service in October 2019, and has excelled with her grant program Sowing Young Sprouts. Before joining WVSU, Ward worked full-time running her agriculture business, Lost Ridge Farms, along with serving as a full-time mother.
“I work for 4-H, but I also work in agriculture on our small business (Lost Ridge Farms). We grow hops, make maple syrup and garden with our kids, and I want to implement those skills and activities with all kinds of other kids through JMG because I see how much my kids enjoy it,” Ward said.
Throughout the holiday season of 2020 during the height of the COVID pandemic, Ward received a national mention for giving out an estimated total of 580 activity bags that included grow kits and seeds to plant at home. The following spring, Ward built and installed approximately 150 garden beds and two greenhouses across Raleigh, Boone, and Fayette county schools.
In her time at WVSU, Ward has also distributed approximately 100 pre-built garden beds for schools in various southern West Virginia counties including Crescent Elementary School, Clear Fork Elementary School, Ashford Rumble Elementary School, Fairdale Elementary School and more.
Before being named the JMG State Coordinator, Ward worked on the installation of school gardens and incorporated the JMG curriculum within her school garden sites. She has actively taught the JMG curriculum activities every week and certified the participating children at the end of their academic school year. She plans to bring her JMG position and knowledge of gardening and agriculture to WVSU by conducting multiple campus JMG gardening training sessions and delivering the corresponding curriculum to teachers and adults. She will also be traveling to homes, schools and events to train educators to teach this curriculum.
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