Second-grade students at Billy Mitchell Elementary School spent a recent afternoon getting their hands dirty - all in the name of education.
This is the first year the Lawndale school has implemented a gardening program in which students learn about healthful diets, nature and sustainability by getting hands-on experience working in a small organic garden during their lunch recess.
On Wednesday, with the help of parent volunteers and teachers, students harvested vegetables they planted months ago, learning the joys of spending time outside.
"This may be the only place they can have access to nature," said volunteer gardener Kris Lauritson, who is overseeing the garden project through the University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Program. "It's an outdoor classroom."
The school serves primarily Latino students from urban neighborhoods. About 80 percent of Billy Mitchell students qualify for free and reduced lunches.