Lower Elementary

The goal of the Kerr Garden is to cultivate, through a community effort, a thriving garden where students can learn about plants, food and nature through hands on experiences, and can see, touch, smell and taste the results of their efforts. The Kerr Garden also strives to provide teachers with an outdoor classroom where they can teach science, math, art, history and cultural lessons in a garden environment.

Our goal is to fund a garden instructor to not only educate the simple aspects of gardening to all our 341 students, but to also work closely with the school teachers to tie this garden knowledge into the school curriculum, providing a holistic education. Student learning is multifunctional ̢

While our garden program has been strong since 2007, every passing year shows that our infrastructure -- long, untreated wood raised beds and pvc bubblers -- is aging and that elements need to be replaced. Having a strong infrastructure allows teachers and the garden coordinator the freedom and support to develop creative programming in the garden, knowing that the materials, tools, and structure are there to support whatever projects they can dream up.

Our first goal is to get every child in the garden every year. As of now, 1/3 of the classrooms are actively utilizing the garden, and we'd like to see that participation rate increase dramatically so that every student is getting an opportunity to understand where their food comes from. To do so, we'll be looking to increase our garden space by adding garden beds in the current location and installing garden beds closer to the Kindergarten and Pre-School area.