Yvonne Lucas, Antonia Escobedo, Gina Hannah, Karin Carey, M. Lattimore-Lewis

Lucas and her colleagues winning program, “Our Educational Garden”, will be student-centered and involve the community. The garden will reflect the interests of the students and incorporate the school’s culture as shaped by students, teachers, parents, administrators, and neighbors. Plans for the garden include using a wide range of decorative flowers, herbs, vegetables, and fruits. Students also will make the compost, test the soil and till the ground. They also will be responsible for measuring plant growth, labeling plants, decorating and caring for the garden. Students and teachers will have workshops using the garden to understand concepts related to environmental education and healthy living practices. Lucas and her team hope the program will ultimately be an excellent tool to teach the 135 general education and 35 special education students about empowerment, community responsibility, and how to connect positively with their neighbors.