Thurgood Marshall Academy

Support from the Whole Kids Foundation will allow students and the ward 8 community in Washington, DC to continue to benefit from Thurgood Marshall Academy’s (TMA) organic school garden. TMA has two main goals for its garden: (1) to teach students strategies for well-being through healthy food choices, nutritional literacy, and physical education; and (2) to provide a space for garden-based lessons that support academic achievement.

In an area of DC where 36% of the population is obese, TMA’s garden helps students and families combat unhealthy eating choices by raising awareness about local agriculture; providing opportunities for physical activity through garden-based lessons; and offering local produce through weekly farmer’s markets in the community.

The garden also supports TMA’s goals for academic achievement by augmenting in-class curricula with project-based learning opportunities, where students work on independent projects to apply concepts they learn to the real world.