Case Study: Gardening in the San Diego School District
Students at Rosa Parks Elementary School in the San Diego, Calif. can enjoy the benefits
of a community garden right on their school’s campus. The school is located in the City
Heights neighborhood where residents are predominately Latino, African-American and Southeast
Asian, and 54.5 percent of families earn incomes below the federal poverty level.
The school’s principal worked with the San Diego School District and other partners
to identify and designate a piece of land as an educational garden. Students from the
Cesar Chavez Service Learning Club generated a plan for a garden and gained community
support for the proposal. The students designed the garden to include compost and
flowerbeds; a birdbath and feeder for natural insect control; and planting beds to grow
vegetables and herbs consistent with the diets and customs of the diverse neighborhood
population. The students also coordinated a school farmer’s market where harvests can
be distributed to students and families.
Teachers at Rosa Parks Elementary School use the school’s community garden to take
students outside the classroom and offer interactive instruction on health and nutrition,
science, mathematics, ecology and agriculture.
Funding for the garden came in the form of grants and support from the San Diego
Women’s Foundation and Scripps Mercy Hospital. One-time capital expenses and
operational maintenance during non-school hours were and are covered by the school.
For more information:
 Back to Cultivating Community Gardens |
