Connections Harvested at Garden Gathering
Lincoln Public Schools Sustainability Team hosted their 2nd quarter school gardens gathering on Tuesday, November 15th at The Career Academy. The theme was “Harvesting Connections” and the event brought together community partners, school staff, parents, volunteers, and neighbors who are interested in supporting gardens and outdoor learning activities.
Ag/Bio Pathway Teacher, Tom Wheeldon, and a few of his Future Farmers of America (FFA) students hosted a pre-event tour of the Greenhouse located at TCA. Displays of student projects, tower gardens, and a variety of plants were also available for viewing.
School Board Member, Lanny Boswell kicked off the event with personal remarks concerning his care for gardens within the Lincoln Public Schools system and his own childhood experiences with Future Farmers of America. Dawes Middle School garden club coordinator, Lora Carpenter-Janike also spoke and described her student’s personal experiences cultivating community, growth, and of course, harvesting produce. Student leaders were also featured, as the FFA students presented the project for this year which is all about pollinators.
During the event, a variety of community partners highlighted the resources and programs they have available to aid school garden success. Some of the partners that presented include: Community Crops, Lower Platte South NRD, UNL Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Lincoln Kiwanis Center, Lincoln Garden Club, Green School Farms, UNL Extension Master Gardener Program, and CLC Community Builders. No garden event would be complete without some fresh produce! Attendees were able to enjoy fresh local greens donated from the Beyond School Bells Freight Farm while listening to presentations.
Connection with community partners and peers continued as the group moved into breakout sessions. Session topics included winter engagement and tower gardens, community and neighborhood connections, garden planning and maintenance, and volunteers. Attendees were able to dive into discussions on these topics and learn from each other’s challenges and successes.
Through new connections and access to additional resources, those who attended were able to take useful information back to their own school gardens.
“I truly believe it was one of the most rewarding and beneficial seminars I have been to for LPS.”
In total, there were over 60 attendees with 13 LPS schools represented, many of which had existing school gardens. Garden gathering events are offered on a quarterly basis and typically include some sort of tour before sharing resources and engaging with community experts. Momentum for school gardens and outdoor learning continues to build, as does the engagement at these events.
This quarter’s Garden Gathering was incredible. It seems like each Gathering we grow in the number of attendees and topics. CLCs love Garden Gatherings, I can't wait for the next one!”
Updated March 14, 2024
