Elbridge Gale Elementary School

After a hugely successful Gators Going Green Phase 1 Garden Event on Green Apple Day, we are planning our phase 2 projects. With the Whole Kids Foundation funding, we will add 5 floating hydroponic gardens, 10 Verti-Gro hydroponic units, create/enhance native butterfly gardens, and plant native fruit/shade trees. These gardens, trees and plants will be enjoyed by all students, teachers and community members. We want to ensure that our courtyard garden areas are utilized to their maximum potential. Butterfly gardens to be placed in existing beds near both entrances to cafeteria, visited daily by over 1000 students. Fruit trees will be planted in grassy areas throughout courtyard to provide shade and education in plant life cycles, food chains, interdependence, other life science curriculum, Florida studies curriculum as well as math skills (measuring, graphing, etc), Language Arts and Art curriculum. Parents and students are invited to eat lunch together in our courtyard, teachers can teach classes in our outdoor classroom and community projects can take place outdoors, to enjoy the delightful surroundings. Our hydroponics will enable us to build school/community connections as we plan to sell our school's produce at the Wellington Green Market. All monies collected will go back into garden upkeep and education.