A grant funded by the Teacher’s Insurance Plan of New Jersey will help the Mullica Township Schools tackle its childhood obesity problem, school nurse Joy Roehnert said.

“After conducting body mass index readings for all our students, we discovered that two-thirds of them are overweight or obese,” Roehnert said.

Establishing a garden in the courtyard outside the principal’s office will “get our children moving and eating right,” she said. “Unfortunately, a lot of our children enjoy sedentary activities, like watching TV and playing video games.”

The $1,000 grant will fund building a raised bed, purchasing plants and a composter that can be fed grass clippings and leftovers from the school cafeteria.

Officials are hoping students will become more physically active building the garden, tilling the soil, planting, weeding, pruning and harvesting strawberries, tomatoes and other easy growing, yet healthy to eat vegetables.

Participating in the garden project will allow students to learn about the life cycle of fresh foods and, hopefully, help them to make healthier eating choices.

Roehnert said students in kindergarten through fourth grade have already started the planning phase of the garden by testing the soil, drawing out a garden plan and “envisioning” what the garden will look like.