Free classroom gardening program expanding across Goshen, Elkhart areas

by Network IndianaDecember 31, 2025December 27, 20250

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A free classroom gardening program is expanding across the Goshen and Elkhart areas. Goshen Health started the Tower Gardens program in 2023 with ten planters.

It has now grown to 29 tower gardens in 22 classrooms across five school districts from Goshen to Middlebury.

The planters allow students to grow fruits and vegetables inside their classrooms.

Teachers say kids enjoy watching the plants grow and trying the food they harvest.

The program begins in kindergarten, helping students learn which vegetables they like.

Some high school students take part in a life skills program where they cook meals using what they grow.

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José Miller has announced that he will retire as chief of the Goshen Police Department in June 2026, concluding more than 30 years of service to the Goshen. Miller will continue to serve as police chief through his retirement date, providing continuity for the department and the community during the transition. Miller became the department’s 22nd police chief in 2018. He joined the Goshen Police Department in 1995 as a patrol officer and advanced through the ranks over the next three decades, serving in numerous roles including S.W.A.T. commander, detective, administrative adjutant, motorcycle officer, drug unit officer and assistant chief. “Serving this department and this community has been the honor of a lifetime,” Miller said in a statement. “I believed in leading with integrity, standing firm on what’s right, and upholding the trust the badge represents. It was always about the good of the city.” Goshen Mayor Gina Leichty praised Miller’s leadership and said his advance notice allows for a thoughtful and deliberate transition. “I am deeply grateful for the dedication, integrity, and calm, steady leadership Chief Miller has brought to this role,” Leichty said. “His decision to give the department more than seven months to transition into new leadership reflects his deep care for the organization, his colleagues and the community.” Leichty said the position of police chief carries significant responsibility beyond day-to-day operations, including shaping community trust and confidence. “The person serving in this role helps shape the culture of the department and the sense of peace, trust and safety our community feels,” she said. “Chief Miller has carried that responsibility with thoughtfulness and care.” Miller’s retirement will mark the end of a career spanning more than three decades of public service to Goshen.

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