As winter approaches and plants go dormant, there’s a movement in Coupeville that is starting to blossom.

Although still in its early stages of development, Coupeville’s Farm to School program is wrapping up a year of encouraging progress.

A culmination of successful fundraising efforts in spring and summer has led to the hiring of a school garden coordinator. That development, along with gains made this year in garden infrastructure, has moved the Farm to School program into the second phase of its master plan.

“The seed is beginning to sprout,” said Anne Harvey, one of the Coupeville program’s chief proponents.

Harvey was giddy with excitement as she introduced the new coordinator to a group of supporters and elementary school families who gathered for a dinner at the Coupeville Coffee & Bistro last Friday night.

That excitement continued Monday when she and Zvi Bar-Chaim met at the Knead & Feed on his first day of work to outline some initial plans, including finding Bar-Chaim a work space.

“By the end of the week, we’ll get that figured out,” Harvey said.

Since March of 2013, a group of school staff, farmers, public health officials, parents and other community members have been working to bring the Farm to School program to Coupeville.

The program’s mission is to promote healthier eating for students by incorporating fresh, seasonal produce from local farms and school gardens into school cafeterias.

Part of a national movement, the program is multi-faceted in its approach with an emphasis on educating kids about healthier foods by allowing them to take part in the planning, growing and harvesting processes.

The school garden coordinator, a part-time position, exists to facilitate many of these processes, plan and prepare Farm to School curriculum and assist teachers.

“When we studied all these other programs, the ones that make it are the ones that have someone who’s designated, who’s not a teacher,” said Harvey, a retired college professor. “We’ve seen stops and starts with teachers. They start. They try to get going and they don’t have time. They have too much on their plates. A school garden coordinator is absolutely essential.”

Laura Luginbill, a registered dietitian and public health professional, spearheaded Coupeville Farm to School efforts.

With the hiring of Bar-Chaim, a 32-year-old former middle school science teacher in Chicago, Coupeville now has a new face for its program — one with a beard and mustache.

“I will be looking to start developing curriculum with the teachers to incorporate the school gardens into their lessons, to incorporate hands-on activities for students to get them outside … and to enhance what they’re trying to do in their classrooms,” said Bar-Chaim, a recent graduate of Greenbank Farm’s organic farm school.

Bar-Chaim is aiming to prepare school gardens for the next growing season.

Community volunteers built the garden, complete with fencing and raised beds, at Coupeville Elementary School earlier this year. Another large garden and greenhouses are located at the high school/middle school.

The Farm to School program is about experiential learning. Kids need to taste what they’re growing and learning about at an early age to get excited about it, Harvey said.

“It’s not enough to put healthy food on their plate,” Bar-Chaim said. “The connection to where the food is coming from is what makes that healthy food much more meaningful. For them to see and actually be involved in growing that food themselves makes it that much more meaningful to them. Kids give you less push back when they’re actually involved in the process.”

The program is steadily moving forward. The school district is allowing the program to progress. And Chartwells, Coupeville’s current food contractor, has expressed a willingness to work within the parameters of a Farm to School program.

Harvey pointed to the success of the South Whidbey School District farm and garden program as an example of large-scale gardening onsite that’s working.

Produce from three school gardens in South Whidbey are added to school lunch programs, managed by Chartwells.

Coupeville’s group is eager to move forward, yet approaching things cautiously.

“One thing we agreed on as a group is we did not want to try to bite off too much, too fast,” Harvey said. “We wanted to have success and build off that success.”