Gardening Elective in Jeopardy

This next year Stewart will see some changes to the courses we will offer our students. The model for our school used to be providing a diverse range of experiences (electives) for our students ranging from construction class, to choir, to graphic design, to theatre, to art, to guitar, to all sorts of mini terms and other offerings in order to build a love for school (because of a special elective) that would transfer to the core skills measured on tests (in the vein of SOTA/SAMI success). We believed that this exposure would result in a transformation of school culture to innovation and creativity. Unfortunately high staff turnover, 2 years of unclear and unreasonable behavioral expectations (or lack of them at all), last years 5th grade enrollment freeze, multiple principals, multiple special education models, funding use issues and audits, and a dilapidated building that became the poster child for the districts Prop. 1 bill all combined with a socioeconomically struggling community to predictably strain the Stewart STREAM (Science Technology Reading Engineering Art and Math) SIG (School Improvement Grant) Model for improvement and, more importantly to the financial powers that be, reduced test scores across grades and subjects (except science). Additionally Stewart also had to endure a battering ram of bad press year after year, a district culture of gossip around building happenings and a massive (albeit only partially responsible for) drop in enrollment resulting in the loss of FTE (funding per student) for our school and the staff and services it provides. With the impending move to HUNT for two years we can expect this trend to continue in loss of enrollment and FTE as well as a site move to an even more dilapidated facility.

That is all a very long explanation to set the stage for the fact that there is a really strong possibility that the community gardening elective class will not be offered any longer at Stewart Middle School. Because we will have so few electives many other courses/classes will have to absorb the influx of the loss of this course diversity, class sizes will likely go up, and frivolous courses such as the one you have grown to love, watch, cheer for and learn from on this blog will be lost to compensate.

Here are a couple of reason's our class has brainstormed on why the school district should increase our FTE to a point that our counselors and principal can schedule a community garden elective class in the fall that is essential to the running of the Stewart Community Garden.

§Calming physically fit activity for students at the end of a long day

§Donate 200+ pounds of veggies a year to the community including a battered women's shelter, students and staff

§Positive publicity for our school (we don't always get highlighted for the good we do)

§Brings diverse community members together in a safe way

§Learn about advertising and persuasion (LA standard)

§Learn about history of agriculture and worker rights (SS standard)

§Encourages multigrade collaboration and friendship and mentoring in multigrade elective class

§Teaches students to grow veggies for their families (sustainability) and reduces waste

§Teaches responsibility to care for something other than self

§Learn about cells, plant types, weather, soil, compost, food web, insects, photosynthesis, (all state science standards)

§Practice measurement and fractions when planting (math standard)

§Creates a safe place in the community and improves property values nearby

§Its beautiful and we beautify the school grounds!!!!!!

The garden has faced many challenges over the years. We've had our water shut off, we've had the process for collecting money stifled. We've had our native plants poisoned and chopped down by maintenance, but little did we know that eventually our garden could possibly go neglected due to something far beyond our control. We can't control enrollment. We can't control the misuse and decisions of those high above our simple goal of learning to grow food together for those in need in our community. In fact the garden itself is a metaphor for the transitions and challenges this school has endured over the last 4 years.

In the end we hope that all the photos, donations, activities and teachings/learnings we've gained and provided from our garden were not in vain. We also hope that this blog serves as a 3 year chronicling of how insanely difficult it is to change the culture of American education towards sustainability, healthy habits and philanthropy.

We've had a blast and hope you have too. Until next time...

keep growing :)