Around 80 Lincoln Heights Elementary School students visited Jackson Street Farms on Thursday for a hands-on field trip focused on agriculture, healthy living and community pride within walking distance of their school.The trip was organized through a partnership between Lincoln Heights Elementary School, Princeton City School District, The Heights Movement, Jackson Street Farms, St. Monica's Recreation Center and community partners invested in youth education and neighborhood-based learning."This field trip is about more than a day at the farm," Daronce Daniels with The Heights Movement said. "It is about showing our young people what is possible right here in Lincoln Heights. We want students to see land, food, wellness, entrepreneurship and community leadership as things they can touch, understand, and one day help lead."Daniels, who serves as the village's vice mayor, said Jackson Street Farms launched in 2018, turning unused land into a productive space while restoring potentially contaminated soil. He said the farm's mission goes beyond growing food."The fact that even if you are in a food desert, that doesn't mean you can't do something about it, and that's the biggest thing that we ask all of our young people," Daniels said. "It's not necessarily, you know, what jobs they want, but what problems they see in the community and how they can solve those problems."WATCH: How Lincoln Elementary students pour back into their community, known as a food desert How Lincoln Elementary students pour back into their community, known as a food desertScience teacher Catherine Rosevear organized the annual trip for fourth and fifth graders who have been growing vegetables such as lettuce and carrots and cultivating seedlings planted around the school."This is where they live," Rosevear said. "They walk past the farm when they go home to school or from school, so I thought it would be good for them to be able to be a part of their community and know what it was."Students also planted a fruit tree wall dedicated to their principal, Dawn Bailey, who is retiring this year.Lunch was provided through support from St. Monica's Recreation Center for students, teachers, volunteers and The Heights Movement team.Students told WCPO the experience left a lasting impression."We didn't even know how to do this, but now we know how to plant to get food to eat and survive," Jaemir Ballard said.The field trip is part of The Heights Movement's broader work to create community-centered learning opportunities for youth, exposing students to urban agriculture, food systems, environmental stewardship, health education, teamwork and community ownership.Daniels said partners such as Procter and Gamble, GE Aerospace and United Way helped develop the farm into what it is today.The organization continues to expand its work around youth development, public health, food access, workforce development and community revitalization in Lincoln Heights."I'm grateful that I'm here and thankful for my teachers for letting me come here," Amina Hawthorne said.This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. ...read more read less