The Montezuma School to Farm Project is hoping to grow again with the addition of a garden at Mesa Elementary in Cortez, pending approval from the state for a Great Outdoors Colorado Grant.

If funded, the Mesa Elementary garden would be the third Montezuma School to Farm garden in Cortez.

The city of Cortez is applying for the $25,200 grant on behalf of MSTFP, and the funds would go toward getting a Colorado Youth Corps crew together to install the garden.

Colorado Youth Corps is a state organization that recruits young adults to work on land, water and energy conservation projects.

The support from the city of Cortez to spearhead the GOCO Youth Corps grant signifies “a foundational turning point” for the local School to Farm Project, said Montezuma School to Farm director Sarah Syverson.

“This collaboration between the city of Cortez, Montezuma-Cortez RE-1 School District, Southwest Conservation Corps and Montezuma School to Farm to spearhead the next school garden installation shows that the community and region believes in what we do, trusts our methods and practices, and sees a future where all youth have access to edible education,” she said.

“We see a bright future with these partners at the table. All of us, together, raising the bar for our kids. One kid at a time. One carrot at a time.”

MSTFP doesn’t plan to stop its growth with the Mesa Elementary garden.

The strategic plan over the next three to five years for the experiential, ag-focused program is to install gardens at all Cortez elementary schools, the new Montezuma-Cortez High School, as well as Cortez preschools and the alternative schools.

“We want to continue our tradition of strong, foundational programming that is solid in its’ programming, support and funding. For this reason, we must move at a pace that allows for solid growth,” Syverson said.

If the GOCO Youth Corps grant is approved, the Mesa Elementary School Garden will be installed in the summer of 2016.