The 3rd Annual D.C. School Garden Week is scheduled for Oct. 5-10, 2009.  This week we celebrate and build awareness about DC's school gardens.

There are many different types of gardening projects in approximately 80 DC schools. These gardens provide wildlife habitat, absorb stormwater runoff, beautify schoolyards, nourish students' minds and bodies, and more. We encourage everyone to get out to explore and celebrate DC school gardens!

NEW! Click here for our events flyer!

Visit this site often for updates!

AMONG THE EVENTS PLANNED

  1. School Garden Photo Contest! DC Schoolyard Greening is sponsoring a photo contest for all students in grades K-12.


    Click here to see the 2009 winners. Thanks to all who participated and congratulations to the winners!

    Also, a big thanks to the organizations who donated prizes:
    DC Environmental Education Consortium
    District Department of the Environment
    Earth Day Network
    Politics and Prose Bookstore

    Winning photos will be displayed at the MLK Public Library and at select schools during the remainder of the school year.

  2. Pre-Event: Building a School Garden
    As part of an Urban Gardening lecture series, Grace Manubay, DCEEC Co-President, will speak about the basics of starting a school garden. Learn about four different but successful school gardens in Washington, DC. Presented by the Historical Society of Washington (HSW), DC Urban Gardeners, and Washington Gardener Magazine.
    Date    : October 3
    Time: 1:00 pm
     Location: Historical Society of Washington, 801 K St, NW
  • Event: DC School Garden Week Kick-Off
    Come celebrate the beginning of DC School Garden Week! Learn about Watkins Elementary's Living Schoolyard as we will be planting a garden and presenting awards to our photo contest winners.
    Date    : October 5
    Time: 10:00 am
     Location: Watkins Elementary School, 420 12th St, SE
  • Event: Student Film Screening
    Were you ever curious about where your school lunch comes from? Students at Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter High School in Anacostia set out to figure it out for themselves. View their documentary and hear about local efforts to improve lunches served in DC schools from Bernadine Prince from FreshFarm Markets.
    Date    : October 5
    Time: 8:30pm
     Location: Busboys and Poets, 5th and K Sts, NW
  • Event: 6th Annual Fall Schoolyards Tour
    Come and see exemplary and diverse greening projects at various DC schools. At the sites, you will learn how these outdoor spaces can easily be integrated into the teaching curriculum, and get ideas for how to start your own school project.

    Date: Saturday, October 10
    Time: 9:00am-3:00pm
     Locations: Meet at Brent ES. Will also visit Emery ES, Ludlow-Taylor ES, River Terrace ES, Thurgood Marshall Academy PCHS
    Fee: $10 before Sept 30; $15 after Sept 30 (includes lunch and van transportation).
    Registration: By October 5th. See flyer or email Trinh Doan.

    Event: School Garden Bike Tour
    Join us for a tour of some of DC's best gardens! Riders are welcome to join or leave the tour at any site. See flyer for locations and times.

    Date: Saturday, October 10
    Time: 9:00am-2:00pm
     Locations: Meet at Brent ES. Will also visit Watkins ES, Bancroft ES, Tubman ES, and Girard Children's Garden
    Fee: Free! Bring a bag lunch and water.
    Registration: RSVP required by October 5th to kwarner@washingtonyouthgarden.org
  • Event:  Garden Volunteer Workdays
    What a better way to celebrate school gardens than by making sure that it looks its best!  Gardens need constant care and attention, something that can be left on the end of a to-do list of school priorities.  This week, let's put it high on the list! 

    Schools: Are you interested in having volunteers help you with your school garden?  If so, register your volunteer event with Grace (click here) so potential volunteers can get out and garden with you.  We will be posting your contact info here so volunteers can find you.

    Volunteers: Are you interested in volunteering during DC School Garden Week? Email the site leaders below for more information about their events.

    Location    : Tubman ES (3101 13th St, NW)
    Date    : Friday, October 9
    Time: 9:30-10:30am
     Registration: RSVP to Lee Cain at lee@anacostiaws.org
    Join Harriett Tubman students and other volunteers to plan and learn about garden care while helping to improve a neighborhood school garden!

HOST AN EVENT AT YOUR SCHOOL

Please join us in this great effort to celebrate the success of school gardens in Washington, D.C. Let us know how you plan to participate! You can...

  • Plant some fall seeds or bulbs
  • Host a garden party
  • Use your schoolyard as an outdoor classroom for a day
  • Organize some volunteers to do some garden maintenance
  • Plan on starting a new garden in the spring

    Whatever you decide to do, please tell us about it!

PLANNING MATERIALS

  • Click here for the Save the Date.
  • Click here for quick ideas to Get Out and Garden!
  • Click here for a list of garden curricula on the Web compiled by the National Environmental Education Foundation.

PRESS

 

PARTNERS IN D.C. SCHOOL GARDEN WEEK

As of September 19 , 2009

 

Click here to read about the past DC School Garden Week events.

For more information, email Grace Manubay, DCEEC Co-President, or call 202-236-5856.