University Heights Garden and Vision

What’s exciting about the University Heights school garden is that students do it all. Teachers act as coaches and supervisors than instructors. Since they are at the beginning stages, students can decide what they want to go into the garden and design and build it from scratch.  With the California Instructional School Garden grant they received in 2007, they were hard at work breathing new life into their garden. Their vision was to have a working and productive garden by spring 2008.

Creating the Garden

Because there is so much groundwork to do, students are actively involved in all aspects of planning and prepping.  To connect to the curriculum, students use the Technology Lab to go on the internet and research gardening techniques, mapping and plants. Teachers Doug Frey and Cosma Stamis are there to guide the learning in the classroom and coach out in the garden.

Weeds come out first. Students have been working diligently for weeks to clear the area for planting.

Some pruning is necessary too.  Mr. Frey teaches a student the finer points of pruning.

“Hang in there--now you’re seeing what was involved when they came off the ship in the colonial period.  They had to clear the land!”  (--Mr Frey)

Plans are in the works for installing an irrigation system with the grant money.  The previous attempt at irrigation didn’t work out well, because it wasn’t a drip system, and no one tended the watering during summer months. For the new drip system,  students claim ownership over all the planning.  They do the measurements, dig the trenches, determine the pipe lines needed and the overall layout for raised and in-ground beds. 

Students have already constructed two raised beds with Mr. Stamis’ help. One they designed with higher sides for wheelchair access.  Special Ed students, including the severely handicapped, are an integral part of the school garden program, and as Mrs. Williamson, the Special Education teacher, says, “They come out after school and work their butts off in the garden.”

While they were at it, students built the storage shed, with teacher supervision. The shed is a kit. They learned how to measure the components and fit them together, and build a workable structure.  Students learned firsthand about "racking”-- when a building leans this way and that, and requires a lot of pushing and shoving to get it square.