Nominations Close Soon!
Just one week left to submit your nomination for the Erin S. Soper Award. Feeling shy about nominating yourself? Share the form with a colleague or parent who knows how much time you dedicate to your school garden. It takes less than 20 minutes to complete. Due April 4th. Awarded in early May. Visit the FAQ for more information.
A school garden thrives with community. You need people to hold up up through all seasons. Not just the ones that are perennial but the seasons of when people get sick or parent volunteers are scarce, or when classes are impacted by extreme student behavior or when administrators are not friendly to your vision. A school requires tending of the people supporting it. It needs community members that see the value in dirt and play. Without a village there is not hope.
Erin S. Soper Nominator, 2025
Aliveness After School
by Wendy Fitzgerald
The air in the garden was alive with children’s afterschool energy, greetings, smiles, gloves and tools. A scent of damp December earth all around us. A ray of sun beamed on our circle this last day of the club. Questions on gardens, planting, friends, teamwork and doing it all again, answered honestly. The comfort of the circle held them and their ideas.
Then, on to digging, a different energy, unearthing worms, rocks, discovering a slug, “a snail without a shell!” as they made room for the plants in their new home. Tender dirty fingers carefully dropped the native plants in the holes lined with handfuls of compost. Finally, they stood back, and tucked the plants in with rich redwood bark. Ready for a long winter’s nap. Hopes of buds and butterflies when they return.
Monarch Butterfly Ambassadors
Native plant habitat gardens are a lower-maintenance alternative to replacing raised beds that might be falling apart after decades of use. Planting for monarchs, specifically, addresses the need for habitat restoration for this imperiled species. The Monarch Education Project enlists community partners to collaborate in support of monarch butterflies. Find out how you can become a monarch butterfly ambassador.
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