What began as a pandemic workaround — an assistant principal handing out school meals and a farmer with piles of unsold dates — has grown into one of the Coachella Valley's most ambitious farm-to-school efforts.

Seeing that surplus, Mark Tadros, who owns Aziz Farms in Thermal, redirected the fruit to local schools and soon began sourcing additional produce for K-12 school districts. Together, those efforts now serve 18 districts and shaped the education model he and his wife, Nicole, run today.

That progression led Aziz Farms to its latest milestone on Friday, when it unveiled an outdoor education center supported by a grant from the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

Also in this week's education roundup: December's Greater Coachella Valley Student of the Month inductees

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