Garden inspires learning at Orange Grove Elementary
The garden at Orange Grove Elementary School is coming back to life.
The raised wooden beds of an earlier attempt at establishing a school garden are being cleaned and reinforced. New dirt and nutrients will be added. Composting barrels sit ready for old clippings and worn out soil.
With a “ton” of donated seeds, the fourth- and fifth-graders will leave an enduring legacy for their younger schoolmates, said student Sebastian Linares.
“I think it’s a very good idea,” Linares said of the garden plot, “because those little kids when they come to be fourth and fifth graders, they will have (had) the chance to experience the first garden growing.”
Physical education teacher Chris Fermanis was awarded a $2,500 APS/ Phoenix Suns STEM grant for the project, one of four in Yuma County. Fourthand fifth-graders in his P.E. class will be managing the garden, overseeing the selection of seeds, gridding the beds (i.e. planning where to put items), reading up on companion planting and more.
“We’re really excited for this,” Fermanis said. “For them (APS/Suns) to bring this to our school … it will give the kids a hands-on experience that is real world.”
Fermanis and Regina Elder, the school’s librarian and a reading interventionist, are helping the fourth and fifth grade classes with the project. The school is uniquely situated on top of the mesa a few miles from Cocopah Corner. The property was once an orange grove, hence the name of the school.
Students are already excited, as some materials were delivered last week and were just waiting on a new fence to be installed between the preschool playground and the garden beds, Fermanis said.
“It’s really good to start new traditions at our school,” said student Lillianna Rosas, who hopes the garden will be able to help supply the school’s cafeteria.
Students were excited about the science, technology, engineering and mathematics concepts they will learn from the garden and conducting their own experiments with various watering methods.
“We can compare plants to see how they grow together,” said Samantha Solano. “We might flood (irrigate) them, we might water some with a water hose and we might do other stuff to prepare them.”
On a cold morning last week, the students showed off their materials: composting barrels, wooden raised beds from a stalled garden project, new garden tools, soil and other items.
The students discussed what vegetables they would like to grow in the garden, how difficult it might be and how they were going to measure and chart the plant growth.
“I think this is a great way to give kids a healthy start,” said Isaac Duenas. “And when we eat these vegetables they will make us grow into strong adults.”
Fermanis said he plans to look into having the garden certified by the state health department, and that would allow the vegetables to be eaten in the school and sold to the public.
But right now, he’s channelling his students’ enthusiasm.
“When the kids are excited, we get excited, and it makes our job easier because it makes the learning easier.”