Photos courtesy of Carmen Mendoza
It all started with a few plants on the windowsill of a classroom. Grandview Heights High School teacher Carmen Mendoza had no idea that inviting students to help take care of her tiny classroom garden would grow into a flourishing school-wide program.
Mendoza noticed her students had a genuine interest in cultivating plants, so she reserved a spot in the Wallace Gardens where they could really get their hands dirty and give back to the community. All kinds of vegetables were grown through the garden and then donated to local food pantries, garnering lots of attention from the community and giving Mendoza the inspiration to form a school garden club.
Mendoza and her students were able to receive an Ohio Educational Foundation Grant and built their garden from the (dirt) ground up. An area of successfully cultivated plants takes time and effort, but with help from the community Boy Scouts, teachers and even parents, the garden is now in its second year and still growing.
“It’s been a lot of work, but it’s so worth it,” Mendoza says. “I definitely enjoy it.”
Students have no trouble getting their hands dirty, as they are avidly involved in planting, weeding, watering, clearing out leaves and even collecting compost from the cafeteria for extra cultivation. Mendoza has allowed students the freedom to take on responsibility, so the everyday gardening tasks have become a routine for them.
The program is an all-season garden, as Mendoza and students are constantly fundraising and promoting improvements and expansions. The school has garden towers which supply fresh tomatoes, lettuce, chard and more locally grown food for the cafeteria. Through this, students are able to understand the importance of homegrown, fresh meals.
The school’s garden not only benefits physical health with colorful vegetables, but it also helps boost the students’ mental and emotional health.
“When we’re in the garden, it’s so peaceful,” Mendoza says. “It’s just a corner of our campus – there just is nothing like seeing something grow from a seed and taking care of it. The data of mental health and gardening is amazing.”
Statistics in recent studies show that students who participate in classroom gardening have better interpersonal relationships and an increased positive feeling towards going to school. Plus, it gets young people away from screens and social media.
“I’m a techie person, but I’ve realized what we need is to get out, touch the earth, grow food and enjoy the green,” Mendoza says.
Although plants can oftentimes be slow-growing, Mendoza works quickly and diligently to increase awareness about the program and its benefits. A 10-week class directed by Susan Hogan called 4-H Project Green Teacher motivated her to push the program further.
“They inspired me to get it going,” Mendoza says. “With everything I learned – I really put it all to work.”
She loved the conference program so much that she returned recently to present the progress of her garden program and prove that the material taught in the classroom can be applied to real life.
Originally, Mendoza’s goal was to be included in the School Garden Bus Tour and now this year the Grandview Heights High School has been invited. In fact, they’re the first stop on the tour.
The School Garden Bus Tour gives a glimpse of some of central Ohio’s finest school gardens with levels ranging from elementary, middle school and high school. Each stop will have a student explanation on how they cultivate their gardens and what benefits they bring to the school. The tour is an opportunity to network with fellow community members, learn about students’ growing initiatives and even get inspired to start a garden program.
“It’s fun for the students to see that their hard work is being admired,” Mendoza says about the tour. “It’s nice for them to see that it’s worth it. I can’t wait to keep working on the program.”
For more information please visit: www.franklin.osu.edu/events/school-garden-bus-tour-0. Tickets are $50 and include bus transportation, snacks and lunch.
Mallory Arnold is an assistant editor. Feedback welcome at marnold@cityscenemediagroup.com.
