Elementary Schools:

  • Aiton Elementary School (photos)
     533 48th Place NE
    Washington, DC 20019

    In 2004, the school planted a diverse wildlife habitat garden in front of the school that consists of ten beds with shrubs, native plants, and flowers. Trees were planted along the side of the school which borders Watts Branch, a tributary of the Anacostia River.

  • Amidon Elementary School (photos)
     401 Eye St SW
    Washington, DC 20024

    Amidon ES is in the process of a major outside yard overhaul and once that work is completed, there will be new and improved outdoor learning areas in the school. The front of the school is still a major garden of beds with flowers and bushes and trees maintained by the school (each bed by grades) and outside volunteers who come to the school periodically. The new re-built playground and greenways, will have walkways, gardens, garden areas where students and volunteers will plant. Hopefully, we are looking all of this to happen sometime in spring 2008.

  • Bancroft Elementary School
     1755 Newton St NW
    Washington, DC 20010

    Between 2001 and 2007, Bancroft Elementary School has installed three major garden projects. After removing some asphalt surrounding the school, eight large raised beds were installed where the children annually plant herbs, vegetables and annual and perennial flowers to attract butterflies and birds. A permanent gardeen of bushes, grasses and perennials was also planted in a large area that runs between the street and the playground. A rain garden planted with flowering bushes and perennials absorbs a great deal of the storm water run-off from the asphalt playground and keep the sewers from overflowing into adjacent Rock Creek Park. More than 25 trees have been planted, some along the sidewalk in the tree boxes and about 15 more in the playground itself, tearing up more asphalt to do so. Gardening is coordinated by Iris Rothman, a community member who works with Bancroft students, staff, parents, neighborhood volunteers, and others to plant, weed, mulch and learn from the garden.

  • Barnard Elementary School (photos)
     430 Decatur St NW
    Washington, DC 20011

    Barnard installed their schoolyard sites during the spring of 2004 and 2005. In 2004, an alphabet garden was planted in whiskey barrels and two large garden boxes were filled with shrubby plants and flowers. In 2005, teachers and students worked to install a rain garden on an area of the school that experienced significant erosion due to runoff from the street and sidewalk.

  • Bowen Elementary School
     101 M St SW
    Washington, DC 20024

    Tree plantings, transplanting of shrubs and perennials, removal of dead shrubs and trees, and filling/regrading of pot-holes and sunken areas.

  • Brent Elementary School (photos)
     301 North Carolina Ave SE
    Washington, DC 20003

    Past projects since 2004 include building butterfly, vegetable and flower gardens and adding related books and curriculum materials for teachers and students to the library. The current project involves a major renovation and reconstruction of the schoolyard, anticipated for the summer of 2009. Conceptual site plans have been drawn up and are in the final review stages. The new space will include more exciting and safer areas for play and learning, plants for shade and seasonal interest, and enhanced storm water drainage. To contribute online, please visit http://www.bricksrus.com/order/brentelementaryschool/index.htm, or contact Tessa Muehllehner at johnandtessa.dc@verizon.net.

  • Brookland Elementary School (photos)
     1150 Michigan Ave NE
    Washington, DC 20017

    To alleviate an eroding hillside at Brookland Elementary School, drain grates were installed to catch and slow rainwater, coconut fiber logs installed help stabilize the soil, and a small channel was dug along the side of a walking path to direct run-off toward a newly constructed rain garden. Each class in the school came outside on the rain garden planting day, learned about the project, and either planted a plant, helped spread wildflower seeds, or mulched. For many of the students, this was their first gardening experience. Post-installation, the students diligently made sure that the plants were watered to help them become established.

  • Burroughs Elementary School (photos)
     1820 Monroe St NE
    Washington, DC 20018

    Students at Burroughs Elementary School have played a major role in determining what kind of schoolyard habitat improvements could be made to underdeveloped areas of their school property. The Science Club students participated by conducting a watershed audit of the school grounds to help them better understand and make changes to positively impact the health of the watershed and wildlife. Two pathways were put in and three large trees planted by contractors. Three large beds of shrubby plants and flowers were also planted. A large area with plants and logs that serve as seats was created as an “outdoor classroom.” Plants that are beneficial to butterflies and other insects were planted in five separate raised beds in the shape of butterfly. Ten to twelve whisky barrels were filled with herbs, “sensory plants,” and flowering plants. In 2005, the school installed raised planting beds in a concrete courtyard area within the school, planted with various perennials, herbs, and some vegetables.

  • Children's Studio School (photos)
    1301 V Street NW
    Washington, DC 20009

    Teachers and parent volunteers in 2006 constructed a container garden on a 1,600-square-foot asphalt plot adjacent to the school. Containers were filled with 18 cubic yards of soil/compost mix and planted with flowers, vegetables and herbs, mostly from seed. Classroom curricula have included indoor seed planting, seedling transplanting, worm composting, composting from lunchroom scraps, harvesting lettuces and vegetables and serving these in the school lunchroom. The garden is the site for journal writing, painting, mosaic construction, aroma therapy, poetry readings and various celebrations. Volunteers and school aides recently initiated an After Four program for students interested in incorporating the garden, arts and nutrition activities. Most recent additions have been benches and a solar-powered water fountain.
  • DC Bilingual Public Charter School (photos)
    1420 Columbia Rd, NW
    Washington, DC 20009

    Students in grades K – 3 participate in workshops that tie the garden to the school’s curricular standards and objectives in reading, math, and science. Students also help maintain the garden and work on various projects: studying the life cycles of plants and insects, composting, vegetable gardening and mapping. Also, a recent highlight of the program was the fostering of a relationship between the student gardeners and a local working farm. Several of the teachers in CentroNia have used the garden independently as a tool for their classes and projects, especially the visual art and photography program. The garden also provides a peaceful space for staff and children to explore and even sit and eat lunch!

  • Draper Elementary School (photos)
    908 Wahler Place, SE
    Washington, DC 20032

    In 2005, Draper Elementary removed 4,000 square feet of impervious asphalt from the school grounds, replacing it with a grass playing field with six benches and ten large trees. In addition to the turf area a rain garden was established above an area that has had erosion issues, planted with native shrubs and herbaceous plants. A circular memorial garden sits in the schoolyard, which includes a butterfly garden, an herb garden, and two built-in boxes with annuals, perennials and shrubbery. Wildflowers and fruit were also planted.

  • John Eaton Elementary School
    3301 Lowell St NW
    Washington, DC 20008

    Eleven trees have been planted, including Japanese lilac, redbud, and American holly. Parents have organized a summer watering schedule.

  • Emery Elementary School (photos)
    1720 First St NE
    Washington, DC 20002

    School has a butterfly garden, two large garden beds with vegetables and herbs, two smaller garden beds for lettuce and herbs, two additional raised beds, planting areas with tulips and spring bulbs, and daylilies, and 2 composing areas.

  • Garrison Elementary School
    1200 S St, NW
    Washington, DC 20009

    In 2008, third grade students at Garrison ES helped build four raised garden beds and planted them with herbs and other plants.

  • PR Harris Educational Center (photos)
    4600 Livingston Rd SE
    Washington, DC 20032

    In 2003, P.R. Harris school chose to create a rain garden that collected runoff from the parking lot. The garden helped not only convert a grassy patch to an attractive garden but also slows runoff and filters any pollutants, such as oil or grease, which may be present in the parking lot. The school has also planted trees and native landscaping beds.

  • Hendley Elementary School
    425 Chesapeake St SE
    Washington, DC 20036

    In 1995 significant improvements were made to the schoolyard at Hendley Elementary School. Debris, poisonous vines, and wild plants were removed from the site. In their place, sand boxes were constructed, flowers and grasses were planted and picnic benches were built. Recently students and teachers have taken steps towards building a flower garden by measuring the area and testing soil and water quality in their schoolyard.

  • Janney Elementary School
    4130 Albemarle St NW
    Washington, DC 20016

    Students in after school programs at Janney Elementary School helped to design and plant a garden in their schoolyard. Students help to maintain the garden by mulching in the spring and enjoy utilizing the space before and after school. Informal curriculum ties have been made to the garden through concepts such as interdependence and conservation. The school planted a butterfly garden to complement the 2nd grade classes’ studies of the lifecycles of the painted lady and swallowtail butterflies. Additionally, volunteers planted over 30 trees, among them hornbeam, river birch, and holly. Informal curriculum ties have been made to the garden through concepts such as interdependence and conservation.

  • Ketcham Elementary School (photos)
    1919 15th St SE
    Washington, DC 20020

    In 2003, the principal and science teacher selected the front entrance way for two rain gardens which would collect runoff from the rooftop. Not only did it reduce runoff, but the gardens helped beautify the entrance and served as a memorial to a teacher and several students that died during the September 11th tragedies. A dedication ceremony was held for the site on September 11th, 2004.

  • Kimball Elementary School
    3375 Minnesota Ave SE
    Washington, DC 20019

    In 2004, first grade students started working on a composting program at the school. Since then, the environmental education program has grown significantly. Every student participates in the planting, harvesting, and eating of vegetables from the school's garden. Other garden areas include a pollinator garden hosting meadow plants and a forest garden hosting plants typically found in a forest. Only native plants are used in their conservation projects. The school also has a a green roof art kiosk, which demonstrates green roof technology and is enhanced with student artwork.

  • La Salle Elementary School (photos)
    501 Riggs Rd NE
    Washington, DC 20011

    Supported by the KuTunza Environmental Education Program (the KEEP) since 2001, LaSalle students have worked to turn their community and city around from a reluctance to acknowledge watershed and global climate problems to one where there is no longer any choice but to reverse the effects of global warming, take personal responsibility for watershed restoration, and to honor our planet’s biodiversity by loving “all the children of all species for all time.”

    A native butterfly garden, planted and maintained by LaSalle students with partial funding from a USDA grant in 2004 with continued funding from the KEEP for the last four years, now boasts communities of plants native to the Chesapeake Bay Region. In 2007, supported by a grant from DDOE WPD, with technical assistance from the Potomac Conservancy, volunteer work by the students and staff of Sidwell Friends School, and the design and construction energy of the KEEP and LaSalle students, a french drain system was constructed adjacent to the school building. Stormwater runoff drains from the sidewalks’ impervious surfaces into a wetland. This wetland acts as an outdoor classroom while serving several important ecosystem functions including facilitating the natural infiltration of storm water, non-point source pollution abatement, and the connecting of several habitat niches.

    LaSalle will also be the first DC Public School to have a greenroof installed on the roof of the main building. Entirely funded through a grant from the DDOE and matching funds from the KEEP, this 10,000 sq ft project is scheduled to be constructed in Spring 2008, and will include over 100 species of plants, the most ever planted on a greenroof in North America, with 28 species native to the U.S., 8 of which have a threatened or endangered conservation status and a template of plant communities designed to also proliferate invertebrate biodiversity.

  • MV Leckie Elementary School (photos)
    637 Third St. NE #40
    Washington, DC 20002

    On September 11th, 2001, when flight 77crashed into the Pentagon, nearby Madelaine V. Leckie Elementary School in Southwest DC shook several times from the force of the explosion. Reverberations would continue as the school learned that Flight 77carried Leckie Teacher Hilda Taylor and fifth grade student Bernard Brown, who had won a national essay competition that, earned him a trip to California. In addition, two Leckie parents who worked at the Pentagon, Marsha Ratchford and Johnnie Doctor Jr., died in the attack.

    September 11th, 2002, marked the beginning of a year-long project to design and build a garden memorial at Leckie to honor these individuals. Volunteers from the Washington Architectural Foundation, including local architects and landscape architects, worked throughout the 2002-2003 school year with all 18 classrooms, grades K-6, to study Washington's memorials and the cycle of plant life. On September 11, 2004, a partnership with The Washington Architectural Foundation, Leckie Elementary School, and the DC Cooperative Extension Service/DC Master Gardener Program was formed to expand the education of the students in the Leckie 9/11 Memorial Garden Club. The garden is planted with bulbs and perennials and is maintained by school staff and a registered Junior Master Gardener group.

    Contact info: Mrs. Clementine Holmesley, Principal (202) 645-3330
    Sandy Farber, Junior Master Gardener Coordinator, Extension Agent (202) 274-7166

  • Maime D. Lee School
    100 Gallatin St NE
    Washington, DC 20011

    At Maime D. Lee School, in NE Washington, teachers use windowsill plantings to demonstrate germination, propagation and care of living things. There have also been efforts to beautify the courtyard and building perimeter and turn it into an outdoor learning space.

  • Lowell School (photos)
    1614 Kalmia Rd NW
    Washington, DC 20012

    The Lowell School conservation site began when a truck drove across the Lowell schoolyard, cracking underground pipes that that directed the underground stream across the schoolyard. Since then, the grassy field has become a hands on outdoor classroom with a daylighted stream flanked with native riparian vegetation, native edible gardens and wetlands. Lowell has strengthened their environmental education program with the stream daylighting.

    The stream has been an important part of the curricula for all grades at Lowell School. For example, first graders study habitats and explore the stream for aquatic insects; second graders study life cycles and explore the wildlife habitat that the stream provides; third graders study change along the stream banks, observing plants throughout the seasons; fourth graders study the theme of Community Connections, and focus on bids, bridges and the Chesapeake Bay. They planted the wetland and monitored the ecosystem. They learned about the connection of the Lowell stream to the Chesapeake Bay and constructed the bridge over the stream; and fifth graders act as the stream stewards and routinely monitor the water quality of the stream and collect macroinvertebrates.

  • Ludlow-Taylor Elementary School
    659 G St. NE
    Washington, DC 20002
    202.698.3244
    Pamella.Shaw@verizon.net

    At Ludlow-Taylor Elementary School the 6th grade of 2004-2005 has been working on a courtyard garden for their school -- The Ludlow-Taylor Rainbow Garden. The garden was cleared of overgrowth, dead trees and shrubbery, and debris during the summer by the custodial staff and volunteer college students. The 6th grade has planted over 500 spring blooming bulbs in the garden. They have also begun to work with the school's Autism education program to develop a gardening program together. Future plans include using rain barrels to collect roof runoff water for irrigation and developing raised beds on the school grounds.

  • Horace Mann Elementary School (photos)
    4430 Newark St. NW
    Washington, DC 20016

    In 2000 Horace Mann Elementary School began a schoolyard greening project, with the goal of incorporating gardens into environmental curriculum in every classroom and bringing students and teachers outdoors. Parents designed six theme beds, which replaced an area of asphalt on the school grounds: a butterfly garden, herb garden, berry garden, sensory garden, cultivating strips in raised beds and a hedgerow. A sixty-foot walled garden of native plants was also constructed in the schoolyard. In spring 2006, a small addition to the butterfly garden was added. Teachers have successfully integrated the garden into their curriculum across all disciplines. The 2nd grade classes monitor the growth of milkweed through their study of monarch butterflies. The 1st graders use an online program called Journey North to plant and follow the growth of red emperor tulips. The Kindergarten classes adopt and study different species of trees around the garden, and students of all ages map the garden and identify leaves using a schoolyard field guide. The students have salad and stir fry parties and grow herbs for fundraisers. As part of the first photo contest for DC School Garden Week 2007, five students took some of the winning photographs in the garden.

    The school is in the process of expanding the two herb gardens to include a section of culinary and medicinal herbs. The primary grades have partnered with a local chef to provide him with produce from the garden in the fall and spring. In return, students receive cooking lessons from the chef when he visits the school seasonally. Parent and student volunteers have organized a committee to maintain the garden during the summer as well as the school calendar year. The garden has been supported over the years by private and public grants.

  • Myrtilla Miner Elementary School
    601 15th St NE
    Washington, DC 20002

    Myrtilla Miner Elementary school chose to install an indoor wetland. The indoor pond plays a role in the school’s mission to incorporate environmental studies through learning labs located in common spaces school-wide. The learning labs, which also include a turtle and butterfly station, aim to provide students with a visual and tactile exposure to nature throughout the day, something that many students may not have a chance to experience outside of school.

  • Murch Elementary School
    4810 36th St NW
    Washington, DC 20008

    At Murch Elementary School many classes have taken part in beautification projects on their schoolyard. A parent involved with Murch Home and School Association has helped develop a landscape plan for the schoolyard. Working with Casey Trees, the school has planted well over 100 trees on the site, such as willow oak, crape myrtle, red maple, and cherry. The second grade class, along with help from many parents, built and maintains as small butterfly garden on the site. The school also holds cleanup days in the spring and fall.

  • Peabody Elementary School
    425 C St NE
    Washington, DC 20002

    The Peabody School Gardens which surround the Early Childhood Center are comprised of 15 garden areas that were developed in 1996. The school removed asphalt from their play yard and replaced it with trees and vegetable, herb, and flower gardens. Also has a butterfly garden that is used for a butterfly-tagging program for the kids. The garden areas support the school’s integrated art, science, math, English and geography curriculum. An environmental resource center has also been developed in the school library in conjunction with the development of the garden. The newest garden is the Discovery Garden, which is in the 4th Street public space between the sidewalk and school fence. The garden features feature multiple spaces for learning through teacher- and self-guided student instruction. Peabody staff and volunteers from the Master Gardener program of the University of the District of Columbia and are building the Garden to include Creepy Crawler Maze to foster curiosity, Wiggle Way for running and learning garden words, and the Learning Spot, an outdoor classroom. This outdoor learning space will be filled with native shrubs, grasses and flowers to attract insects, butterflies, and birds.

    In 1998, three faculty formed the Peabody Garden Patrol (includes faculty, parents, and volunteers) to oversee future development of the gardens and their long-term maintenance. The Garden Patrol annually organizes and conducts Spring and Fall Garden Workdays to develop, refurbish, and perform cyclical maintenance in the gardens. They also organize the summer maintenance ensure that they are weeded and watered.

  • Marie Reed Elementary School
    2200 Champlain St NW
    Washington, DC 20009

    Students and teachers at the Marie Reed Elementary School are involved with a program called GLOBE, in which students plants seeds in science class, care for them and then transplant them into their schoolyard garden. In the spring and fall this area is used to study birds, butterflies, moths and other wildlife that visit the schoolyard. Throughout all seasons, students use the weather station that’s located in their garden. The school hopes to add benches and tables to the existing garden and create an outdoor lab for environmental monitoring and urban ecology studies.

  • River Terrace Elementary School
    420 34th St NE
    Washington, DC 20019

    In 2003, River Terrace installed a rain garden that collected runoff from the school’s rooftop. Located along the side of the school, the garden incorporated native trees, flowers, and grasses. The ornamental grasses provide visual interest even during the winter months. The school also planted a peace garden.

  • Ross Elementary School
    1730 R St NW
    Washington, DC 20009

    New playground with Low Impact Development (LID) practices, porous pavers on the parking lot, and an underground holding chamber under the playing field to control the slow release and filtering of rain water. Much asphalt and concrete were removed for this project.

  • Rudolph Elementary School
    5200 Second St NW
    Washington, DC 20011

    This school closed in 2008.

    Rudolph Elementary School in partnership with FoodPrints, a collaboration of FreshFarm Markets, American Institute of Wine and Food, Ag in the Classroom and the Washington Youth Garden has an edible school garden. The three raised beds have herbs, vegetables and fruit. K-6 are involved and work in the garden. We plant in the Spring and harvest in early Summer (before school ends) and the Fall. Local farmers help in the garden and local chefs harvest from the garden and demonstrate healthy cooking and eating. The garden is supplemented with an 8 week garden science curriculum for the classroom and the garden as well as visits to local farms and farmer's markets.

  • Seaton Elementary School (photos)
    1503 10th St NW
    Washington, DC 20001

    Seaton Elementary has been developing an outdoor laboratory where teachers and students can continue their classroom curriculum in a natural setting. The “Outdoor Lab” contains a number of elements that can help students connect directly with issues related to wildlife habitat needs, watershed health, and more. Vegetation has been planted that focuses on food for wildlife who struggle in an urban setting. In 2006, the school created a urban wetland around a natural depression in the habitat area. This urban wetland provides habitat for birds and insects in addition to absorbing at treating polluted water from nearby athletic fields, parking lots and asphalt basketball courts. The wetland was planted with wetland plants such as cardinal flower and soft rush to name a few, the border was planted with black-eyed susans, various ferns, sneezeweed and hostas among others. Additionally Seaton ES has planted numerous new canopy and understory trees such as northern red oak, black willow, flowering dogwood and eastern redbud.

  • C Melvin Sharpe Health School (photos)
    4300 13th St NW
    Washington, DC 20011

    Students and staff at the C Melvin Sharpe Health Schools converted a portion of their schoolyard into “Nature’s Retreat”. They have planted a total of 19 trees, which students in the garden club and science classes help to maintain. Nature’s Retreat is enjoyed by students as a sanctuary and utilized by classes as a setting for journaling or as a place to observe and explore wildlife.

  • Smothers Elementary School (photos)
    4300 13th St NW
    Washington, DC 20011

    2 detatched downspouts that drain into small rain gardens, and tree plantings.

  • Stanton Elementary School (photos)
    2701 Naylor Rd SE
    Washington, DC 20020

    In 2000 a 60 foot by 40 foot garden for fruits, flowers and vegetables was built at Stanton Elementary School. Students use the garden to observe growth, study life cycles and measure and compile garden-related data. Their work in the garden is closely related to science curricula being taught in the classroom and is often tied in with lessons on life science, physical science and earth and space science. Students continue to maintain the garden and hope to build a wetland environment as well as butterfly and wildflower gardens in their schoolyard.

  • Stoddert Elementary School (photos)
    4001 Calvert St NW
    Washington, DC 20007

    In 2004, Stoddert chose to address an area with bare soil at the front of their school. They planted the area with native plants to provide cover and habitat and to create a more welcoming entrance for visitors. There are 3 wildflower gardens including a native plant, insect and bird garden. Along the side of the school, they created an outdoor habitat and learning space that would attract birds and butterflies. Teachers have incorporated composting into the curriculum and purchased two large barrels to compost food scraps and weeds. The school also created an arbor entrance and a stepping stone walking path. The school has held several outreach meetings to involve parents and the surrounding community in the design and installation of the site.

  • Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom Public Charter School
    3220 16th St. NW
    Washington, DC 20010

    Stokes School first initiated its "Planting Peace" schoolyard beautification project in the fall of 2002 with the goal of creating and maintaining a garden that would serve as an engaging, peaceful space in their schoolyard. Throughout the school year, Stokes School organizes several community activities with this goal in mind. Every Earth Day, the entire school community, including students, parents, and faculty members, comes together to "plant peace". Over the past three years classes have planted window boxes, bulbs, and native bushes, built birdhouses, and hatched and released butterflies in the garden. In 2004 classes fundraised to buy a bench for the peace garden and made a book explaining the various plant and animal life one would see if they sat in the garden. Individual classes also organized specific projects. The third graders planted flowers on September 11 to give back to the earth and remember that day in 2001. The second graders planted a rose bush in memory of a classmate's mother who died of cancer. Every year, the first graders help to keep track of the growing ecosystem in their schoolyard by taking an inventory of the insect wildlife as part of their science unit on bugs. Plans for Earth Day 2005 include, creating a small wildlife habitat, building a bird feeder and bird bath, and making a stepping stone path through the garden where each stone is inscribed with a character trait, like honor, courage, or respect.
  • Harriet Tubman Elementary School (photos)
    3101 13th St NW
    Washington, DC 20010

    In 2004, Tubman removed brick pavers from an under-utilized courtyard and installed raised garden beds and a native plant garden along a portion of the courtyard perimeter. The school also converted a weedy corner of the courtyard into a pond, full of fish and wetland plants. The students have been using the site to learn about aquatic habitats and love to observe the fish. The school also received donated benches to provide sitting areas for study and reflection.

  • Watkins Elementary School (photos)
    420 12th St SE
    Washington, DC 20003

    The Watkins’ "Living Urban Schoolyard" began in 1994 with a small butterfly garden and has since grown to include 21 theme gardens on the school grounds. Teachers have been very successful integrating the gardens into their curriculum and treating their schoolyard as an outdoor classroom. Opportunities and support have been provided for teachers to learn how to use the gardens across the curriculum. Students have helped to design and place stepping stones to make the gardens more accessible, and each classroom has taken on the responsibility of maintaining one of the gardens. Children participate actively in planting and maintenance. Teachers and students are currently working towards improving the accessibility of the garden even further and adding benches to make it more suitable as an outdoor learning space.

    For more information, contact Barbara Percival at bobperciva@aol.com

  • West Education Campus
    1338 Farragut St, NW
    Washington, DC 20011

    West Education Campus, a preschool-eighth grade DC public school, recently established a butterfly garden. West's Monarch Butterfly Garden is the result of a partnership with the Monarch Sister Schools Project, a new organization that seeks to restore the migratory flightways of Monarch butterflies by having schools across North America plant gardens of native species to host them. On September 23rd & 24th our entire student body, plus quite a few parents and community members participated in planting our Milkweed Garden. This 440 square foot garden, planted and cared for by all our students, is a response to the destruction of milkweed and other plants, and a way of bringing a hands-on science and geography resource to our diverse, curious group of children.

    Please go to our website and check out a slide show of photos taken during our planting days.

  • Whittier Elementary School (photos)
    6201 5th St NW
    Washington, DC 20011

    With the help of Whittier teachers & students, volunteers created an outdoor wildlife habitat that can be utilized by children in the outdoors and viewed from classrooms as well. The habitat has an amazing adventure with a butterfly garden, rain gauge, bird feeders, bird baths, more benches for students, and an interpretive stepping stones trail. The gardens are used for the community and after school programs as well. This hands-on outdoors habitat stimulates students’ interest in nature and discoveries.

Middle/Junior High Schools:

  • Bertie Backus Middle School (photos)
    5171 S Dakota Ave NE
    Washington, DC 20017

    This school closed in 2008.

    In 2004, students worked with their science teacher to survey their schoolgrounds with the goal of developing a project that would reduce stormwater runoff from their schoolgrounds. The school’s large parking lot was selected for the installation of three innovative “parking lot gardens.” These gardens are placed near the drains in the parking lot and help reduce runoff reaching the sewer system as well as helping filter pollutants from the water. In addition to these gardens, an existing outdoor lab was expanded to include raised beds and a butterfly garden was planted at the front of the school to utilize for teaching about butterfly life cycles and metamorphosis. The plants also helped beautify the front of the school, replacing weeds with colorful native plants.

    In September 2005, five classes of seventh grade students helped complete a 200 square foot lined pond project. Students began the day by cleaning the site of trash and debris, and preparing the liner. Students planted a variety of trees and shrubs native to DC in the areas outside of the pond. Aquatic plants were potted using a special aquatic soil and placed within the water. Rocks were added along the water’s edge. To complete the project, native flowering plants and ferns were planted around the pond. Since that day, students have witnessed birds, dragonflies and other insects resting on the grasses and flowers they planted!

  • Browne Junior High School (photos)
    850 26th St NE
    Washington, DC 20002

    Tree and bulb planting, storm drain marking, and recycling program.

  • Hart Middle School (photos)
    601 Mississippi Ave SE
    Washington, DC 20032

    Tree and bulb planting, and storm drain marking.

  • Jefferson Junior High School (photos)
    801 7th St SW
    Washington, DC 20024

    Trees planted and native plant garden borders, and storm drain marking.

  • Kelly Miller Middle School (photos)
    801 7th St SW
    Washington, DC 20024

    Tree planting. Also marked storm drains around school and in the neighborhood with the message "Don't Dump! Drains to Anacostia River."

  • Paul Public Charter School (photos)
    5800 8th St NW
    Washington, DC 20011

    Courtyard with Shakespeare Garden, formal plantings and flower beds referenced in Shakespeare's plays. Quotes are on plaques throughout the garden. The school has also has grown some vegetables as part of a "Foods from our School Community" project planting, and planted trees.

  • Sidwell Friends Middle School
    3825 Wisconsin Ave NW
    Washington, DC 20016

    This is the first secondary school in the United States to have a LEED Platinum rating and the first LEED Platinum building in the District of Columbia. The school has a constructed wetland that treats all building wastewater on site, green roof, and raised beds on rooftop for gardening. Students have planted seeds on the rooftop garden, inventoried and researched campus trees, conducted sampling and testing of the wetland wastewater, and studied biodiversity of the campus to turn the place into an urban ecology research station. Many aspects of the green building are exposed to serve as learning tools for the students.

  • Sousa Middle School
    3650 Ely Pl SE
    Washington, DC 20019

    Two raised garden boxes with native plants and 4 birdhouses installed at the school's temporary location at Shadd ES (on E Capitol St SE). Also marked storm drains surrounding school.

High Schools:

  • Anacostia Senior High School (photos)
    1601 16th St SE
    Washington, DC 20020

    Tree planting and native plant memorial garden.

  • Cardozo Senior High School (photos)
    1200 Clifton St NW
    Washington, DC 20009

    In the spring of 2002 students and faculty at Cardozo Senior High School installed a Peace Garden in their schoolyard. The Cardozo Peace Garden consists of two main beds, each around 70 feet long and 5 feet wide. The Peace Garden has been integrated into the school’s World Geography curriculum and a Beautification Club has been created to care for and maintain the garden. The school hopes to improve its Peace Garden and continue to integrate the garden into their curriculum. They have considered adding a composting area and outdoor benches to create a better outdoor learning space. For more information, contact George Telzrow at peacegarden02@yahoo.com

  • Cesar Chavez Public Charter School for Public Policy - Capitol Hill Campus
    701 12th St SE
    Washington, DC 20003

    Garden project, in conjunction with the after-school environmental club, to include edibles and flowers.

  • Cesar Chavez Public Charter School for Public Policy - Parkside Campus (photos)
    3701 Hayes St NE
    Washington, DC 20019

    In cooperation with Cesar Chavez Green team and Chavez Eco-club, the school received a grant to create an outdoor classroom and garden areas. Plans were developed after student plans were incorporated into a general working plan. With students adult and teacher volunteers, the Chavez garden and outdoor classroom were built over a two day period. Trails and planting areas were cleared and prepared using sod cutter, rotor tilling, and hand tools. Students learned the process of setting stones along pathways, built mulched trails, and created new planting areas by mixing soil amendment to enhance the growing conditions for the new plating areas. Students also learned storm water filtering systems using mechanical and planting methods for submerged aquatic vegetation other high water tolerant plants. As the outdoor area was developed this habitat enhancement became available for immediate use by teachers and students and continues to be a favorite location on campus for all to use in formal and informal situations.

  • McKinley Technology Senior High School
    151 T St NE
    Washington, DC 20002

    Tree planting and greenhouse.

  • Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter High School
    2427 Martin Luther King Ave SE
    Washington, DC 20020

    The garden is prominently displayed in front of the school. People walking by the school can see the garden that consists of eighteen beds. Students describe the beds as being "filled with the many vibrant colors of the various vegetables and herbs. In the eighteen beds we have many vegetables such as squash, cherry and zebra tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers and green bell peppers. There is also an herb garden that wraps around the sidewalk that leads to the field. In the herb garden we grow basil, lemon verbena, sage, lavender, thyme, aloe and mint along with others. Closer to the school, there are more beds that employ the square foot gardening method and are used by teachers as an outdoor classroom."

  • SEED Public Charter School (photos)
    4300 C St SE
    Washington, DC 20019

    Tree planting and wetland nursury project growing spartina grasses.

  • Theodore Roosevelt High School (photos)
    4301 13th St NW
    Washington, DC 20011

    Through participation in the Department of Health's Trees for Kids Project students have planted and maintained eight trees on their school grounds, helping to check erosion on the schoolyard hillside. The school also planned and developed a butterfly garden and a vegetable garden, which have been well-maintained for the past three years. The schoolyard is used frequently for hands-on learning by Lutheran Social Service’s community gardening and habitat stewardship programs, by ESL Science classes and by the school at large. Students’ work in the garden is closely tied to the curricula through concepts such as nutrition, composting, and creating and maintaining a healthy, attractive, ecologically-sound schoolyard environment. Future projects at Theodore Roosevelt High School include a restoration of the school’s greenhouse to provide space for winter outdoor learning and converting a leaky schoolyard fountain into a pond habitat for hands-on science learning.

Other Schools:

  • Community Preschool of the Palisades
    5200 Cathedral Avenue, NW
    Washington, DC 20016

    In September 2008, the Community Preschool of the Palisades in NW Washington, DC installed Phase I of their new schoolyard garden. The garden includes all native plantings and includes those that attract and are beneficial to wildlife. A planter includes organic vegetables from an organic garden; the children planted and tend the garden. Phase II, to be completed in late October 2008, will add a sampling of sustainability methods and tools to study the environment (rain barrel, solar lighting, weather station, composter). Although the preschool only serves children ages 2-4, the garden serves as an educational tool to demonstrate how important (and easy) creating gardens that are helpful to wildlife and including sustainability methods is to the enviornment.

  • Maret School
    3000 Cathedral Ave, NW
    Washington, DC 20008

    This year the first graders also helped to plan and build the community garden along with faculty, staff, and upper school students. In spring 2009, upper school environmental science club students, first grade science students, faculty, and staff constructed two raised beds and a pumpkin patch. One bed was for vegetables and the other was for an annual/perennial butterfly garden. The students learned about organic/sustainable farming methods, as well as planting open-pollinated heirloom seeds and seedlings allowing for seed-saving for planting in subsequent years. First graders planted and tended plots through the end of the school year while Horizons students, with help from Horizons and Maret faculty and staff, tended plots in June and July.

    Faculty and staff continued care of the plots in August. When Maret students return in the fall of 2009, the students who originally planted the garden will be in second grade and will tend the plots and harvest seeds for the first graders.

    It is our hope that this community garden demonstrates a full year of plant life cycles and related biodiversity while engaging students and faculty – as well as our public school neighbors in the Horizons program – in construction, planting, tending, harvesting, eating local, and seed-saving. We envision the garden as a place not only to teach science, but also to incorporate social studies, math, art, and other subjects that might be integrated. With sustainability in all aspects of school life at the forefront of Maret’s priorities, creating a community garden is a perfect way to create a confluence of purpose.