Rooted in Learning

School: John C. Milanesi Elementary School
Teachers: Rudy Hogan
County / Level:  Atlantic (Buena) / Elementary
Grant: $10,500
Date: March 2025

In education, we often hear the term “planting the seed”- where teachers and families work together to provide the foundation for each child’s educational success.  We propose to build a garden that will be used by all grade levels to provide hands-on, experiential learning opportunities in science, sustainability, and environmental awareness. Allowing students to directly engage with plant growth, life cycles, and ecological concepts, while sparking students curiosity especially in STEM subjects.  In nonsensical terms, we would love to create a space that encourages a “wonder” mindset in our students.  We aim to make unprocessed food products available to students by growing local crops to create farm to classroom menu experiences that would serve a high proportion of students that are eligible for free or reduced lunch. Our goal would also be to increase community partnerships by recruiting parent and teacher volunteers over the summer to maintain our garden. I have never met a farmer without a sense of wonder, what a wonderful seed to sow!