When students return to Gladstone schools in September, they might be surprised to see how their hard work on gardens this spring has paid off.
Students in our Life Enrichment Education Program and Life Skills class this spring spent time weeding, prepping garden beds and sowing seeds. After a LEEP and Life Skills team effort including Gladstone’s Youth Transitions Specialist Vassa Motes, who is maintaining the gardens over the summer, their efforts came to fruition with flourishing gardens this summer at both Gladstone High School and the Gladstone Center for Children & Families.
Beans, sunflowers, herbs and artichokes are all expected to survive well into the school year to be admired in place, used in the cafeteria or sprinkled into culinary classes. Pumpkins and squash will provide autumn decoration and food. These plants are organically cultivated, with no pesticides or herbicides used to control weeds and bugs, allowing pollinators like bees to thrive in the school courtyards.