2016 Peas Contest Winner Announced

We are happy to announce the winner of our 2016 First Peas to the Table Contest! Carrie Smith’s third-grade class (pictured above) at Cason Lane Academy in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Smith’s classroom wins the grand prize –  a visit from Miss America 2016 Betty Cantrell, who joined the us in launching the First Peas to the Table Contest in February.

“I’m confident that students will enjoy hearing from Miss America 2016 Betty Cantrell about her platform of ‘Healthy Children, Strong America,’ which encourages children to make healthy choices and stay physically active,” said Julie Tesch, our executive director.

First Peas was a national competition for schools that encouraged children in kindergarten through fifth grade to plant, raise and harvest peas.

Student teams competed to grow the greatest amount of peas (measured in cups) using no more than 20 pea seeds during the official contest period, March 1 – May 16. Smith’s class harvested 2 cups of peas, as did Sophie Walsky’s Elbert County 4-H Cloverbuds in Elberton, Georgia. The tie between the two teams was broken with a random drawing, after which the Tennessee school was declared the winner.

(Carrie's class peas being measured) 

Thirty-one schools submitted pea measurements, although even more schools participated. Some schools’ peas were not ready to harvest at the end of the contest.

“Getting their hands dirty is the best way for children to learn! We are excited that through this contest, we were able to provide a fun, hands-on learning opportunity for students across the country,” Tesch said.

The contest highlights the our latest Book of the Year, “First Peas to the Table,” by Susan Grigsby. We created the contest to help students understand the importance of healthy foods and agriculture in their everyday lives and to increase their understanding of how plants grow.

We hope everyone enjoyed planting, growing and learning!