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
- 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.
- 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!
- 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.
- District Department of the Environment's Press Release
- Earth Day Network Blog post
- The Slow Cook Blog post
- City Renewed Blog post
PARTNERS IN D.C. SCHOOL
GARDEN WEEK
As of September
19 , 2009
- 21st Century School Fund
- Anacostia Watershed Society
- Bancroft Elementary School
- Brent Elementary School
- City Blossoms (Girard Street Garden)
- District Department of the Environment, Watershed Protection Division
- Earth Day Network
- Emery Elementary School
- Ludlow-Taylor Elementary School
- River Terrace Elementary School
- Tubman Elementary School
- Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter High School
- Washington Gardener Magazine
- Washington Youth Garden
- Watkins Elementary School
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.
