We live only a few blocks away from the elementary school that I attended for 5th and 6th grade. On occasion, our evening walk take us by the school.

Recently, we decided to visit the schools central courtyard to see the vegetable gardens that our good friend Kate helped organize. Kate is a teacher at Western Hills, and clearly hasn’t settled into a ‘business as usual’ approach to education.

I honestly wasn’t expecting to be impressed with the garden. I pictured a bunch of cobbled together beds that were poorly maintained. It was after all summer, and school wasn’t in session. Surely the students would completely forget about the garden while they were spending endless summer days in front of the TV.

I couldn’t have been more wrong. Rounding the corner an endless and lush garden came into view. It is one of the most wonderful things that I have ever seen. At the far end is a bright mural, accenting the frame of institutional walls and windows that house the gardens. Wandering through the gardens was awe inspiring, everywhere we looked there were more and more veggies ripe and ready for harvesting. Clearly the students were born with green thumbs, because their efforts put Corey and my little plot to shame.

Kate was generous enough to answer some questions about the garden, and I wanted to share them with you.

How did you get the idea to start a student garden at Western Hills?
Four of us went to the National Magnet Conference in Las Vegas two years ago. While we were there, we were discussing what to do with the courtyard. We wanted to create an outdoor classroom of some sort. We liked the garden (especially the vegetables and herbs idea) because it goes really well with our push to be a leader in Wellness Education in OPS.

How did the students respond the idea?
The kids have always been very excited about it. That is really the element that makes this project so successful. It was the teachers, teachers’ families, students, and parents all working together to create this garden. We would work after school, on Saturdays, and throughout the summer.

How do you blend classroom curriculum with the garden?
We have done it a couple of ways. We use it for math a lot. It helped the kids understand measurement a lot. They had a hands on experience of measuring the depth of the soil for seeds to be planted. Also, over summer school we had the kids each choose a plant to measure and record it’s growth each week. We also use it for science, obviously. We had electives about gardening, worms, and soon we will use the produce for a cooking class as well as a wellness class.

Do you have anyone that you would like to thank?
Well, Lowe’s for sure and also the landscape designer. Also all the wonderful parent volunteers that gave so much of their time over the summer.