Growing Together: A School-Community Garden Partnership
Program Spotlight: Sunrise Drive Elementary School

Author: Sarah Pounders

"Two decrepit classroom trailers were recently removed from the Sunrise Drive Elementary campus in Tucson, AZ, leaving us with almost 6,000 square feet full of concrete chunks and dusty gravel," says Family Faculty Organization President Lisa Hawkins. "While this area might otherwise languish due to budget restrictions, we've developed a plan to turn it into an educational hotspot, sustainability showcase, and active community garden!"

Why a community garden? "When I started researching other school garden projects around the country, it seemed that the most successful and thriving gardens really had a substantial amount of community support,” reports Lisa. “We have a tremendous group of parent volunteers at our school, but both the garden and the school population itself will be constantly evolving each year and we wanted to invite the surrounding community to take ownership in the project to help ensure its continued success."

She also believes that it is fundamental to emphasize what community actually is and what it feels like so children can feel the benefits of participation. "In our age of prepackaged convenience and high technology, there seem to be fewer opportunities to build things together and allow our kids the sense of satisfaction that you can get from working with your hands and creating something that is both lasting and useful." And the project has also garnered attention for the school in general. "Many of the neighbors surrounding our school have remarked that they didn't even know we were here -- this despite the school being on the main road for 40 years!" she says.

The garden project is also a way to get attention for the value of public education and the people who work with children every day. “Arizona's public education spending is 49th out of 50 in the United States, and I think it is more important than ever to advertise the incredible talent and dedication of our teachers and invite our surrounding community to participate in the education of our next generation of leaders."

With "enthusiastic" and "unmitigated” support from the school's principal to expand beyond the school's existing garden program, Lisa began gathering ideas and support for the Sunrise Drive Community Garden. First stop: a local community gardening organization.

"We are fortunate to have excellent garden resources in our area," explains Lisa. "Beyond the classroom, this project has been an active collaboration with the Community Gardens of Tucson (CGT). CGT members have provided us with planning and gardening expertise. In return for their support, the school will provide plots and watering supplies for CGT members and school neighbors free of charge. CGT members in turn will ensure that the garden is maintained when school is not in session."

Additionally, the group sent a mailing inviting neighbors to participate in the community garden and advertised in school newsletters. Lisa received an enthusiastic response and expects to have at least 18 community plots occupied in the first year.

All gardeners will complete background checks just like any school volunteer. "We are also vetting gardeners to be sure that they are aware of the potential pitfalls of growing in a shared space. Although we will be teaching students to be respectful of their garden plots, we will be looking for members who have a measure of patience and will be understanding if a small finger gets poked into a prize tomato."

The creation of the Sunrise Drive Community Garden has engaged and energized all who are involved. By looking beyond school boundaries, the garden has grown both in size and scope creating a resource with a much greater impact.

Communication and Planning For schools interested in pursuing the creation of a community garden, Lisa offers these important tips: Agree on the main points of the program from the beginning in an effort to eliminate guesswork and misunderstandings later on. You can work out the fine details as you progress. Gain consensus from the administration, teachers, and core group of active parents before getting started on your project. The school's teachers and staff will be working on this garden long after my children have left the school, so their opinion on how the community garden will be structured carries far more weight than any of my initial, individual ideas. Be as clear as possible about how you want community members to participate. Will they be a core part of the garden or auxiliary participants? Can they access gardens at all hours? Will they pay for equipment and water usage?

Sunrise Drive Elementary School received a 2008 Mantis Award. To learn more and download an application for the Mantis Awards, visit here.