First lady doesn't want White House garden to be neglected

Transcription

1 First lady doesn't want White House garden to be neglected By Associated Press, adapted by Newsela staff on Word Count 756 A new arbor adorns the entrance to the garden at the White House in Washington, D.C., October 5, First lady Michelle Obama is going all-out to ensure the White House kitchen garden that she created in 2009 doesn't get plowed under by the next first family. Photo: AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta WASHINGTON, D.C. MEMO From: Michelle Obama To: Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton Subject: Don't mess with the garden There's no actual memo, but Michelle Obama is going all-out to make sure the White House kitchen garden isn't abandoned by the next first family. The first lady created this fruit and vegetable garden in 2009 and has expanded it twice. Garden Now 2,800 Square Feet With less than four months left in the Obama administration, the first lady unveiled a bigger and improved garden on Wednesday. The garden was expanded in the hope that it will continue regardless of who takes office come January.

2 "This little garden will live on as a symbol of the hopes that we all hold of growing a healthier nation for our children," Mrs. Obama told a crowd gathered at the garden to celebrate its enlargement. "I am hopeful that future first families will cherish this garden like we have, and that it will become one of our enduring White House traditions." The garden's size has grown from an original 1,100 square feet to 2,800 square feet. It has a new wooden arbor, or arch, for an entrance, wider bluestone walkways, and wooden tables and benches. There's even an inscribed stone that reads: "White House Kitchen Garden, established in 2009 by First Lady Michelle Obama with the hope of growing a healthier nation for our children." To bat away any pesky questions about how to pay for the garden, the first lady announced private donations of $2.5 million to maintain and preserve it. Garden Part Of Healthier Living Campaign This collection of small vegetable plots is much more than a garden to Mrs. Obama. It's at the heart of her years-long quest to promote healthier living, especially for children. Calling the garden "my baby," Mrs. Obama said she first dreamed of it while sitting at her kitchen table in Chicago, before her husband had even been elected. School students will join the first lady on Thursday for the Obamas' final fall harvest. They will bring in eggplant, okra, tomatoes, herbs and much more from the garden. Then, in coming weeks, the plots will be covered with plastic hoop houses. These protective coverings allow vegetables such as broccoli, kale and collard greens to grow right through the winter and into the next administration. As much as the first lady wants the garden to be preserved, it's up to the next first family to decide whether to keep it or go in a different direction. Neither campaign responded to a request for comment on what a Trump or Clinton administration might do with the kitchen garden. However, it's fair to speculate that it might be more important for Clinton than for Trump. Clinton is known for eating lots of fruits and vegetables, but Trump is not. As first lady, Clinton directed chef Walter Scheib to bring nutritionally responsible food to the White House, Scheib later wrote. There was even a small garden on the White House roof for growing produce, according to Scheib. Trump, on the other hand, loves red meat and is proud to dine at McDonald's and KFC. What started for Mrs. Obama as a fairly simple kitchen garden grew into her bigger Let's Move program. This project was launched to help decrease childhood obesity in America. Obesity is when a person has too much body fat, which can lead to health problems later in life. To fight obesity, Let's Move promotes exercise and healthy eating habits.

3 "This has truly become a movement and it certainly won't end when I leave the White House because we've still got a long way to go before we solve this problem," the first lady said. She promised to keep working on the issue for the rest of her life. White House Guests Ate Food From Garden Over the years, the garden has supplied fruits and vegetables for the first family, soup kitchens, guests at White House receptions and other events, even state dinners. Students from around the country have helped with planting and harvesting, and 335,000 visitors have toured the garden over the years. The garden updates were a joint effort by the National Park Service and the University of Virginia School of Architecture. Students designed the garden's new layout, arbor, table and benches. The furniture speaks to the first lady's vision of a lasting garden. It is made from reclaimed wood from Thomas Jefferson's Monticello estate in Virginia, James and Dolley Madison's Montpelier estate in Virginia, and Martin Luther King Jr.'s home in Atlanta.

4 Quiz 1 The central idea of the article is MAINLY developed by: describing the first lady's personal connection to the garden listing the eating habits of presidents throughout history explaining why gardens are the best way to keep children healthy making predictions about what the next president will do with the garden 2 Which of these sentences would be MOST important to include in an objective summary of the article? The White House garden was recently expanded and improved. Michelle Obama created the garden to help bring awareness to healthy eating habits. When Hillary Clinton was first lady, she also supported eating healthy foods. School students help Michelle Obama take care of the White House garden. 3 Read the selection from the section "Garden Part Of Healthier Living Campaign." This collection of small vegetable plots is much more than a garden to Mrs. Obama. It's at the heart of her years-long quest to promote healthier living, especially for children. Which of the following words has a similar meaning to the word "quest" as it is used in the selection above? search education effort challenge

5 4 Read the sentence from the introduction [paragraphs 1-5]. There's no actual memo, but Michelle Obama is going all-out to make sure the White House kitchen garden isn't abandoned by the next first family. Which paragraph from the section Garden Part of Healthier Living Campaign BEST explains what the word abandoned is referring to? This collection of small vegetable plots is much more than a garden to Mrs. Obama. It's at the heart of her years-long quest to promote healthier living, especially for children. Calling the garden "my baby," Mrs. Obama said she first dreamed of it while sitting at her kitchen table in Chicago, before her husband had even been elected. As much as the first lady wants the garden to be preserved, it's up to the next first family to decide whether to keep it or go in a different direction. However, it's fair to speculate that it might be more important for Clinton than for Trump. Clinton is known for eating lots of fruits and vegetables, but Trump is not.