Amana Academy Learning Garden

Amana Academy was founded on the principles of stewardship and trust.  In fact, the name Amana means " a trust that must be nurtured and guarded" in Arabic. Our students are taught responsibility for themselves, their community, and the natural world.  We do this through what we call Expeditionary STEM - an integrated approach to delivering advanced academics while at the same time seeking to solve real-world problems - usually through a lens of environmental stewardship or social justice.

From the beginning, our founders wanted the school to have a garden, but it wasn't until we purchased our building and the surrounding property in April 2013 that we were finally able to make that dream a reality.  We have begun our learning garden program by using existing brick planters and a couple of small in-ground beds at the front of the building.  This small start earned us a place in the Captain Planet Foundations' Project Learning Garden program. 

With 10 acres of property, the majority of which is petroleum-based blacktop which must first be removed, we have the potential to really expand the school's learning garden to encompass a much larger area.  

Integrating a garden into our curriculum is the perfect way to give students real-life applications for the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) subjects they are studying in the classroom.  From figuring out square footage and volume of raised beds, to plant life cycles, to troubleshooting irrigation problems, students will use the principles they learn indoors to solve real-world problems outdoors.  Additionally, seeing where their food comes from - starting it from seed, and seeing it grow and end up on their plate - will give them a better appreciation for making healthy lifestyle choices, as well as sustainable food choices.  This takes the notions of environmental stewardship and social justice and not only marries them seamlessly, but takes them to a level that students can understand and appreciate.

Expanding our school's Learning Garden will allow us to fully actualize our mission: to prepare students for high academic achievement, beyond what they think possible, so that they become active contributors to building a better world.