Jefferson County Master Gardeners provided a full week of afternoon programming for the Birmingham Summer Institute, an educational program for underserved 3rd thru 6th graders, during the week of June 4th. Now in its second year, they take a holistic approach to nurturing students with an emphasis on maintaining and improving math and reading skills during the summer break. In their first year, the Institute improved students’ average reading scores by six months’ competency in just six weeks! The program expanded this year to take in sixty boys and sixty girls. Jefferson MGs Sandy Berglund, Charlie Faulkner, Ann Gray Harvey, Charles Murray, Kate Musso, Margaret Rushton, Diana Seevers and Patricia Tate were joined by 2018 MG interns Hana Berres, and Skip and Marsha Craig in teaching: vegetable growing, water cycles, butterflies, funky pollinators and Alabama wildflowers. Master Gardeners were also asked to share their personal and professional accomplishments as examples of the variety of people who participate in gardening. Kerry Stober from ACES taught a session on insects. Students were alternately mesmerized and backing away from the table. [Pictured left to right: Kate Musso and Ann Gray Harvey]