Academic Classrooms

The UT elementary school is developing a new course in Health and Wellness studies for students in pre-K through 5th grades. The curriculum will include four components: Social and Emotional Learning, Nutrition, and Gardening and Cooking. A new cafeteria and teaching kitchen is being built. Garden plots for each classroom have been established. A new teacher will be hired in the next few weeks to develop the curriculum and start teaching it in August 2012.

Sage International School's Design Technology summer school class is partnering with Mary Ann Newcomber, local 'Dirt Diva' in developing a urban garden on the 2nd floor deck of our school. Under Mary Ann's guidance, students will design and build all the necessary containers. They will also plant and fill those containers with organic edibles. The students will plant and connect Espalier fruit trees as a part of the planting design. Harvest of those fruit trees to be in the Fall when school resumes.

The Firdaws al-Hikma Ecology Center is currently in the process of being developed. Firdaws al-Hikma Ecology Center is a Garden for Medicinal, Aromatic and Food Plants in the Negev. The center will serve as an educational site with land and facilities dedicated to promoting ecology and science, environmental literacy with a focus on Bedouin culture and study of conservation and sustainability. The garden will also have research functions, teaching, training in Bedouin culture and heritage, ethno-medicine and ethno-pharmacology.