My students need wheelbarrows, pruners, shovels, gloves and ear protectors for landscaping. Mildew and water resistant tarps will ease the transport of debris and plants.
Our students are enthusiastic, energetic and desirous of competitively paid jobs. We have a greenhouse situated on a vibrant campus. What a great support for students to have a functional landscaping and greenhouse business where they learn gardening as well as build job skills!
We are an urban campus transition program within the K-12 system, dedicated to 18-21 year old students with a variety of strengths as well as challenges.
We help students achieve independent living and job readiness skills. We foster students sense of self-empowerment. Our students have many unique challenges, ranging from physical to learning style to mental or emotional issues. Beyond their individual challenges, they work hard, build their lives and are successful in a variety of directions that open up as they apply themselves. Many students do not currently have the opportunity for education beyond our campus. We face the challenges with them in order to prepare them with the skills possible for a rich and industrious life. One of the ways we can prepare them is with this job-site project.
My Project
We are fortunate to have the greenhouse where students can work. This project will provide much needed supplies for working outdoors and maintaining the school campus landscape, as well as in the 50x200 ft greenhouse. We grow vegetables in raised beds, both inside and outside, using them in classrooms and marketing them to families and neighbors. In the greenhouse, we grow a variety of house plants and vegetable starts, as well as flowers for baskets, in order to sell them in the spring to neighbors, family and staff. Students learn many skills using the equipment for this project, including raking, pruning, weed control, seeding, irrigation, mulching beds, propagating new starts, mowing and cleaning up leaves. Everything concerning gardens and landscaping that you can imagine! Besides learning various gardening and landscaping skills, the students will learn about sales, marketing plans, appropriate clothing, timeliness and purpose as they dedicate themselves to the job.
We have an amazing job-site.
Students love getting dirty and watching the landscape change and grow with their efforts. In many ways, students learn the positive consequence of work and effort. Having appropriate tools, from the proper gloves to wheelbarrows and tarps, will continue student success and skill-building. With those tools and the students' enthusiasm, much growth and small miracles abound!
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. M. and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.