Garfield Elementary

Garfield is a Title 1, Spanish/English dual immersion school, with 54% of students Hispanic, 43% English Language Learners, and 73% on free or reduced-price lunch. The GOALS of the Gecko Learning Garden (Huerto Educativo “Gecko”) are social, academic and health-related. COMMUNITY BUILDING: Gardening activities, during and after school, will promote cross-cultural collaborations – eroding language barriers as families work side by side. ACADEMIC: The achievement gap can be narrowed through garden-based learning, allowing diverse teaching methods to reach and engage a broader spectrum of students. WELLNESS: A school garden will encourage families to move their bodies as they learn gardening skills and will help kids cultivate a taste for healthy food. We built the basic garden infrastructure just four months ago. Starting Garden Club this fall showed us what’s still needed to create a garden that’s not merely functional, but child-friendly as well. A WKF grant would help us achieve this.