Student Life

--- Google Translate --- New School Hours for 2010-2011

Global Gardens

^{August 25, 2008}

Global Gardeners - Rosa Parks students pose by their garden behind their school. Pictured are: standing- Bianca Pineda (holding the shovel) and Casey Johnson (both 5th graders); and Conner Pragg, holding the wheelbarrow; and John Wu,kneeling in front (both 4th graders). The students are also pictured below.

Students who were involved in the new Global Gardens program at Rosa Parks Elementary School, 13702 E. 46th Place Southm, urged fifth graders to join the program this year. Heather Oakley, pictured below, oversees the program and works closely with the students.

The program is a voluntary, after-school program at Rosa Parks in which two groups of students, who meet on Mondays-Wednesday, or Tuesdays-Thursday, learn about the environment and gardens and apply what they have learned to a real garden. On Fridays, the students from the groups can invite family members and friends to view their plot and see its progress.

Presently, the gardens need a little tending, Oakley said, but the rain over the summer has kept them surprisinlgly healthy. And each garden is a little bit different; some feature flowers while others have vegetables. Their shapes and sizes also vary based on what the students wanted.

Returning students and new students coming in to the program will resume work on their gardens in about two weeks; some of the students said they can't wait and told their friends how much fun it has been to be in the program.

QuikTrip, whose headquarters are adjacent to the school property line, will help Rosa Parks spruce up the garden even more during a "day of caring" on September 19, explained Leslie Officer, community program director.

"Approximately 70 people from QuikTrip will work in our building and out in the garden on Friday, September 19, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m," Officer said.  "The volunteers will help spruce up the garden area and add some features which is part of the district's Global Gardens program."

"Volunteers will be involved outside in the Global Garden area as well as inside working with teachers and students.  Outside volunteers will build a pergola, raised beds, build a fence, put together picnic tables, paint hop scotch areas, and build bird feeders," Officer elaborated. 

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The program is called Global Gardens, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering students and communities through hands-on science education. Program organizers believe that helping students create a garden is a way to not only assist them in learning about science, health and the environment but also challenge them to become caring, forward-thinking and confident individuals.

Rosa Parks began the program February 20, meeting after school every day from 3:30 p.m. until 4:45 p.m. Students began by learning about gardens and techniques associated with growing gardens.

To promote the program last winter, Union built a fence, shed and sprinkler system for the garden.

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