The Wentworth School garden broke ground in 2015. The school was brand new and the space allotted for the garden was a blank slate consisting of highly compacted soil with a skim of grass on top. Since then, the school garden has been developed in stages. First came the raised beds, next was a granite seating area with raised beds surrounding it, a shed for storage with a roof to provide a “kitchen prep” zone, a seasonal sink, compost bins, bird houses and feeders and most recently, a new greenhouse!
Students have access to the garden through different avenues. Each year students work on hands-on projects such as laying walkways, building shelves or a mini bridge. They are fortunate to have a garden teacher that provides lessons on different topics each week during the growing season. Teachers can sign up for ½ hour classes while other teachers use the garden for a snack break, read aloud or a lesson of their design.
The produce and flowers are used for cooking projects, school lunches or donated to food pantries. Families adopt the garden in the summer for a week at a time to help water, weed and harvest.
Funding has come through grants, fundraisers and the school budget. Materials are generally funded through money the garden organizers have raised and payment for managing and teaching through the school funds. Their latest project is the creation of a native plant area with trees, shrubs and perennials.
Want to know more?!
- Wentworth School has a student population of approximately 700 students in grades 3-5 with over 100 staff members.
- Email Catherine Hewitt at chewitt@scarboroughschools.org