ESYNOLA, Joseph S. Clark Preparatory High School

The gardens at Clark Prep, tucked in the corridor between the two school buildings, are a colorful and peaceful oasis of flowers, vines, grasses, fruit trees and herbs. The gardens provide a quiet and beautiful place to sit, hear the rustling of leaves, smell orange blossoms in the spring, see monarch and fritillary butterflies foraging for nectar, and harvest and taste herbs like mint, rosemary, and lavender. Citrus trees and flowering vines checker the courtyard and offer students and teachers a chance to take in a moment of beauty and calm during their busy days.

Joseph S. Clark Preparatory High School came under FirstLine management in 2011 and has only the beginnings of ESYNOLA programming at this time. Clark's focus on raising the school performance scores in its first year has paid off with significant gains schoolwide.

In addition to the peaceful campus gardens, ESYNOLA provides an afterschool cooking class for students and working with wellness committee members to pilot innovative ideas to improve student health and well-being through food-based nutrition education, including a parternship with the AP Psychology class to evaluate student behaviors around school nutrition. ESYNOLA will be able to increase student exposure and family events as the garden expands.