Help me give my students bypass pruners, lawn and shrub rakes so that they can maintain the new fruit trees and landscaping in our school garden.
$280 goal
Hooray! This project is fully funded
Hooray! This project is fully funded
Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month
This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
My middle school students live in a large urban district where over 85% come from economically disadvantaged households. I teach health, science and horticulture to sixth, seventh, and eighth graders. They come from culturally diverse backgrounds and reside in different parts of the city. Every morning, many students gather in my classroom to share experiences from the day before and plan for the new day.
Our school really feels like a village, where staff and students share their different experiences as we build community.
We have different zip codes, different languages, different celebrations and foods that make our school unique. We celebrate our diversity and the ways in which we are all the same.
My Project
Our school has a large agriculture area that has been largely ignored for years. Trees and shrubs have grown wild, without proper pruning or care. This year, my horticulture students have been working with an arborist to learn about proper tree maintenance. In addition, they've planted enough fruit trees to create a small orchard. My students are excited to prune the trees and monitor new growth but we only have one pair of pruning sheers.
With additional bypass and stem pruners, my students can work in groups to give each tree the proper care and monitoring it needs.
My goal is to create student groups and have them choose a young fruit tree along with older shrubs and trees to be under their care. With direction of an arborist, they will learn how to properly prune the plants in their area and monitor new growth. Each group needs a bypass and stem pruner to work on their plants. Students will use the lawn and shrub rakes to gather up clippings and leaves for composting and mulch.
Learning how to grow food and maintain a garden is a hands-on and sometimes strenuous endeavor. With proper tools, my students will literally enjoy the fruits of their labor and take home the skills and knowledge needed to create gardens in their own spaces. They'll be able to showcase their work during parent and community events and be proud of the garden area.
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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. Levin and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
