Mint leaves and autumn moments: Lessons in giving

Students at Valley Pathways School are getting something special this fall during the school day, a Physical Education program that’s a little different. One that looks at the whole child, the environment around them, and puts connection, resilience, and prosocial skills at the forefront of their physical activity. Grounded in the state of Alaska’s physical education standards, but pushed through the lens of Onward & Upward’s trademark One Health approach to curriculum.

Director of Operations for Onward & Upward, Amanda Montavon, gently calls out, “Remember your check-in question... When was the last time you did something for somebody?”

At Onward & Upward, “service to others” is more than a value; it’s a core One Health competency and one of the key outcomes we want students to practice.

Service begins with awareness: noticing the needs of others, the land, and even ourselves. It’s about small, intentional acts helping, sharing, or simply paying attention to others that build trust, empathy, and interconnection.

“You’re doing something for somebody right now!” Montavon calls out reminding the students of their lesson. Her words hang in the air as greens are harvested kale, chard, zucchini, and pickles. Many students share and savor a small, sweet Brussels sprout raw, right off the stalk.

The students of Valley Pathways School, some wearing gloves, others with their hands in the dirt harvested the remnants of a late summer planting. One student pulls up a carrot and exclaims in disbelief, “A purple carrot?”

Alex Wilson, Agriculture Education Coordinator at the Kellogg Campus of Alaska Pacific University, explains , “It is only because of the way our food system is that we expect all carrots to be orange, but in reality, carrots come in all kinds of colors.”

“I like the purple ones!” one student exclaims. “They're sweet!”

The purpose of the field trip is to give students some hands-on experience, harvesting real food. We forget, or even assume that most students have a garden, or work on a farm at some point before getting into high school. But a quick survey of students finds that many have never seen or participated in growing their own food.

“Guess what the coldest temperature has been in here this month, states Wilson. “ 36 degrees.” That is just above freezing in the green house, but warm enough not to freeze the veggies out.

Food is so important to our bodies and our physical health. Food is much more important than a bag of doritos, an energy drink, and a bag of skittles.

“Do you want to see something stinky?” Wilson grins, leading students into a back room where a pile of dog manure and rotting vegetables slowly breaks down beneath a plastic-insulated hot tent; a small miracle of 21st-century design. The tent captures methane, piping it to a single burner where Wilson boils water for hot cocoa. “We’re trying to go to strictly rotting vegetables,” she says.

Steam rises from a dented kettle as Wilson stands beside a metal table. Students, bundled in Onward & Upward’s blue puffies, cheeks pink from the chill, wait with paper cups in hand. One cradles a fresh cucumber still dusted with soil. Around them, bins of clippers, seed packets, and trimmings tell the story of a full day’s work. Wilson pours the water boiled by methane gas into their hot cocoa and the low-angle of the sun catches the steam. A simple moment, warm and fleeting, held in a cup.

“Mr. Rusty,” calls one student, “I have a tomato for you.” She hands him one of the last from the vine. She’s noticed he’s been eating every tomato he can find. Not everyone is so open or generous; the world often rewards self-interest. Yet students still hold our hope for a more kind, generous, and caring future. We discussed the secret of giving before coming out: when we give to others, we receive even more in return. Sometimes, even something as small as sharing a mint leaf carries meaning if we’re paying attention.

All these small lessons: carrying loads, assisting with farm duties, sharing in each other's bounty, weave together into one lesson for all of us: the practice of service to each other. Recognizing the miracle of the moment with each other.

When was the last time you helped someone? When was the last time someone helped you? These little mini lessons of the world can be found working at the farm. From carrying the loads of others, to sharing your bounty, or withholding it for yourself. All the lessons of service to others play out in real time.

“Look how spooky it is right now with the fog and everything dying,” Montavon says as the group leaves the greenhouse. A little whirl wind whipped up some dust and dry leaves on our trail. The growing season is over. Drinking their cocoa, the students step into the soft golden fog. Long shadows stretch across the grass as they walk toward the van that will carry them back to their classroom. The moment over, the lesson digested. The real mint tea gone.

Small, intentional acts for others; helping, sharing, or simply paying attention. Actions build trust, empathy, and connection. Whether passing a tomato, offering a hand, or sharing a mint leaf, students learn that service is not measured by scale, but by presence. The little things; a mint leaf, a Brussels sprout, a seed; can grow into something much larger, shaping who we are and the world we create. Small acts, big meanings, and future possibilities!