Teachers Appreciation Week is in full swing and here at News 12 we will be celebrating our teachers all week long!         

Today we are spotlighting some young minds that aren’t the only thing growing at Port Chester Middle School.

Students are digging and mixing it up to create a school sustained, community-focused garden under the guidance of Family Consumer Science Teacher Allison Silverman.

"It is great to have a teacher like that who makes the extra effort. We're able to come outside and have fresh air and be in the outdoors and know that we are helping the community while doing something like this," says Quinn Borzoni, eighth grade student.

"I enjoy the hands-on field work working and having fun. Since it's teacher appreciation week she should be one of the teachers who is remembered," says Monika Abigail Tobar, eighth grade student.

Silverman picked up this project 16 years ago and over time, the program has truly blossomed. “We produce about a thousand pounds of fresh organic produce every year and all the food is donated to our community through our food pantry.”

This is why the students and their principal wanted to give her some recognition. "Very often she comes into my office, and I know we are going to be doing something different. Her improvements are constant, her ideas endless and her students are constantly feeding off her energy,” says Principal Patrick Swift

Just like in the garden, Allison Silverman knows you reap what you sow. “My mission is to give the kids an opportunity to be their best self.”