Garden Classrooms

Edgar P. Harney Academy

Through Rethink, students develop as leaders by learning about and creating change in schools focused on food, nutrition and lunch, the environment, building designs, student conflict and discipline, reward structures, and physical activity. They have successfully introduced 21st century green bathroom designs, garden plots and healthy, tasty, local foods as policy in New Orleans public schools. Rethink is requesting Whole Kids Foundation's support to work with our Rethink school club at Edgar P. Harney Academy to develop a model garden plot on their campus in Central City New Orleans.

Axton Elementary School

Ultimately, the goal of our garden is to provide a hands on, real world experience for our students. With the garden we are able to bring multiple subjects to life such as science, math, art, & nutrition. Not only do we want students to learn academic content, we want them to learn self sustainability & conservation. This grant would allow us to expand our garden to include composting so that students can experience all parts of the gardening cycle. Our students currently harvest crops & seeds & provide regular maintenance to the garden.

Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos High School

For 2013, growing season we were able to grow close to 500 lbs. of various vegetables, for our next growing season would like to grow more than 1000 Lbs. This could not be possible without the help of the students of Pedro Albizu Campos High School and their work in the rooftop green house. The gardener wants to increase the amount of land for gardening. It is the goal to create an orchard of fruit trees to the gardens, which will include apples, peaches, and pears. With the increase of cultivation, the farmers market can be expanded, with invitations for more vendors.

The da Vinci Academy

The goal of this garden is to provide an outdoor learning environment for our school. Students, staff and the community will benefit from the beauty of the space, the harvest it yields, and the education it provides. Students will learn to care for and become active participants in their environment. They will be able to extend their learning beyond the classroom walls and into hands-on activities. We will strengthen our arts integration mission by incorporating the aesthetic aspects of the garden into many learning areas, like movement, science, art and writing.

Lakeland Elementary / Middle School

Lakeland Elementary/Middle School sees its garden as being both an educational space and a community space. Our current garden space was created with help from teachers, students, parents, community members, Master Gardeners, and a grant from the Office of Sustainability, and was used by grades 1st through 6th for science class.

Norview High School

The goal of the Green Thumbs' raised garden beds is to provide school and community based work experience for all students with disabilities. With the addition of 4 raised beds, the garden will be accessible to more students, especially students with physical disabilities. Through their work in the garden, students will acquire work behaviors and marketable job skills while learning about the food chain.

Edith Landels Elementary School

The goal of our garden is to provide an outdoor learning place for all students, combining six new raised planter beds with a California native habitat garden and seating area for an entire class. The garden would be used for all Living Classroom lessons, for other lessons and activities organized directly by teachers, and extra-curricular activities through the new garden club to be launched in the fall of 2014 after the new garden is installed.

Washington Elementary

Our garden's goal is provide our third grade students with multiple meaningful opportunities to learn from this hands-on experience. Students will use this garden to: provide food for students in our community who are less fortunate and elderly, allow students to communicate and learn from our local community members, provide for a homeless ministry, and emphasize the importance of healthful eating, plant life-cycles, observing the land and soil, and teaching other students in the building about gardening.

Saint Paul School

The goal of this garden is serve as a practical and hands-on learning environment. Kids will maintain fruit and vegetable plants, caring for plants from seed to harvest. The process of growing will provide opportunities for teachers to incorporate subjects such as math, science, art, and health education in the classroom. Students will also complete gardening activities in the after school 4-H club. This grant will provide funds for equipment, soil and plants in order to start the garden off with a variety of crops. The community has donated some equipment to build a raised bed garden.

Shadyside Academy Middle School

Our goal ultimately is to educate both our students and community about a lost art. During the 1930s, schools around the country cultivated small garden plots and gardening was seen as a civic duty. It would be fair to say that this has become a lost art. We want to preserve this practice and knowledge and make sure it gets passed down to the younger generation. We want a complete sensory experience for our students. Watch Broccoli, Carrots, Kale, Potatoes, and Amaranth (i.e. food) grow from from seed, smell fresh crisp basil, and touch dark, rich, and complex soil.

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