I am taking an elective class this semester in which we are designing an edible schoolyard for a K-8 charter school, called the Ashe School, that is currently being built in the Gentilly neighborhood of New Orleans.
We took our first trip of the semester to New Orleans on Tuesday. We went to visit the Green Charter school which already has an established edible schoolyard. We went to meet the people who run the program and to take a tour of the garden. The garden was started at Green School 5 years ago shortly after the school reopened from Hurricane Katrina. The garden and adjacent playground/football field (donated by Drew Brees) has completely transformed the surrounding neighborhood. The neighborhood has taken a sense of pride in the garden. It is open to the public for all to use at all times. The goal of the edible schoolyard is two-fold. It is used as a teaching tool in almost every class at the school: science, math, hands on gardening, etc. The food in the garden is then used in the school cafeteria. There is also a teaching kitchen (donated by Emril Lagasse) that the kids get hands on experience in cooking the food that they help to grow. The program also brings parents in after school hours to cook meals as a family. This program has expanded to 4 other schools in New Orleans including the one we are designing at Ashe School.
More info : http://esynola.org/
1 comment:
I shared this with Alf and Allison. One of their boys attends a school that's affiliated with this one.
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