High School

Our goal this year is to create a three sisters garden. A three sisters garden consists of corn, beans and squash and/or pumpkin. These vegetables work together to grow well. The corn creates a structure for the beans to grow on. The squash and/or pumpkins create a natural weed barrier. The First Peoples grew their food like this. We offer Native Studies courses at our school and this garden will link with our program.

The main overarching goal of Byrne Creeks Healthy H.E.A.R.T Garden is to create a multicultural urban garden project that educates community and youth about the nutritional, cultural and environmental aspects of growing and eating food. Our long-term goals include growing in a variety of ways to be financially self-sustaining with a social enterprise that includes a Harvest Box Program, farmers market sales and more.

Meridian World School is a publicly-funded tuition-free charter school offering the International Baccalaureate curriculum. Our mission: *We provide an invigorating educational environment that develops responsible citizens who can artfully navigate our complex world and enjoy a good life with others. *Each student engages in diverse investigations, disciplined inquiry, and integrated service learning to cultivate intercultural awareness, creativity and mental acuity.

The garden will become a community focal point, uniting parent volunteers, teachers, and students in tending to a living space together. At Parish, the Beasley STEM Center and Fleeger Family Learning Kitchen already set Parish apart nationally as a school with designated space to promote hands-on learning which equips students with the enduring skills as thinkers, collaborators, creators and communicators which they will need in order to be life-ready in a rapidly changing world. We know the addition of our outdoor garden will further enrich the learning experiences afforded our students.