Rogers Park Middle School

Our main objective is to provide integrated experiential education in sustainable organic and native plant gardening as part of an ecological/environmental curriculum. For this goal students will: (1) design and create garden spaces and be responsible for planting, growing, and harvesting food crops, (2) design and create spaces for native plant growth and replacement of invasive species, (3) organize and lead events focused on involving school and other community members. We would like to expand the garden program to include more students from other grade levels within our middle school. This grant could support our efforts by providing the funds to (a) redesign and expand to improve the existing vegetable garden, (b) design and build borders and pathways to make the larger space, which includes the ecological gardens, more adequate for school and community use, (c) upgrading the outdoor classroom space to include a Cardinal directions/Sun Wheel construction for Astronomy teaching.