Students Host Produce Sale on First Day of Class

William Kelley Elementary 5th Grade Teacher Tom Frericks Spends Much of His Summer in the School Garden

SILVER BAY, Minn. – Fifth grade students from William Kelley Elementary School in Silver Bay were back to the books Tuesday morning and they’ll have a fun lesson to kick the year off.

For nearly seven years, teacher Tom Frericks has spent his summer growing plants and vegetables of all kinds in the school garden.

From onions to squash, peas and sunflowers, Frericks says every year sprouts a new lesson in his classroom.

Tuesday, the class hosted a produce sale for the community.

“Any of the surpluses that we don’t sell will be going to the school food service. People are very excited to come and see because it’s all organic, it’s fresh, and the students get to do it which is the most important thing,” said Frericks.

Frericks says he does catch his students eating some of the profits occasionally.

He and his father recently built a brick oven to cook pizzas and other baked goods in at the school as well.