Grant Spotlight – Out in the Garden

GRANT TITLE
Out in the Garden

GRANT AUTHOR, SCHOOL, IMPACT & FUNDING
Nichole Perez – Merrillville Intermediate School Gr. 5-6 – 900 students – $483.64

GRANT PERIOD
Round 36 for Spring 2020; implemented in school year 2020-21

GRANT APPLICATION
Students will have the opportunity of an outdoor learning component for their Math and Science classes where they can apply the skills that they learned in the classroom to the gardens. Students will grow their own seedlings in the classrooms and monitor their growth (Math). Students will see first-hand how plants grow and thrive (Science). By having the opportunity to grow their own plants and work outdoors, students will see if a career in the Environmental & Agricultural Systems career pathway is something they would like to pursue in the future; students will learn about various careers in the Environmental & Agricultural Systems career pathway and how those careers tie-in to the vegetable gardens (College & Career Readiness). The hope is to give students the opportunity of a hands-on experience to apply what they have learned in their classrooms and therefore help them to have a lasting impression of what they learned.

GRANT OUTCOMES
The group was planning on starting up the gardens last Spring, but had to postpone due to the pandemic shutdown. The team was able to purchase the materials needed for the raised garden beds and were able to put them together on Saturday, October 31st. One of the volunteers helped to find a better price for materials so four raised garden beds were created instead of the two raised beds proposed in the grant. In the Spring, the team will purchase additional items, such as a garden hose, rakes, etc. to complete materials for the garden.

PHOTO GALLERY