Gibbs High School

The goal of our garden-based classroom initiative (GBCI) is to raise horticultural awareness amongst the underrepresented student population at Gibbs High School in St. Petersburg, Florida (i.e., 75% characterized as socio-economically disadvantaged). Many of them reside in impoverished areas which that lack adequate access to fresh, healthy, affordable food (e.g., food deserts). Focus participants for the GBCI will be 9th and 10th grade Earth Science and Biology students (the latter subject to a rigorous state administered end of course exam). This is important considering the potential of a GBCI to serve as a learning tool capable of: helping students experience classroom success; encouraging a sense of pride; fostering self-sufficiency; and exposing students to possible academic, research and career paths (i.e., horticulture, nutrition, environmental science, etc.). It is hoped that these possibilities will contribute to increased engagement, rigor and achievement.
Along with the advantages directly correlated to students, the GBCI will also furnish them with indirect rewards (instructional augmentation) as the GBCI is integrated into lesson planning, curriculum development and the addressing of science benchmarks. This will come in the form of activity design (promoting student investment, alignment of subject matter with the GBCI, and using the GCBI as a basis for curriculum integration (i.e., literacy, math and scientific principles).
The GCBI may also have a positive impact on students’ personal lives through its ability to foster feelings of success and accomplishment. This can have desirable effects with respect to a child’s feeling of place, belonging and self-worth. These emotional evaluations carry over into personal relationships, employment prospects and community involvement. Such growth opportunities can help students become agents of change in schools, neighborhoods and society, which can prove invaluable in their development as individuals.