The Nettie S. Freed K-8 Exepeditionary School has about 500 students who are enrolled in the Community Garden/STEM program. This Freed School Garden project was an opportunity to turn a large unused space into a community garden and outdoor classroom. This new garden is incorporated into the curriculum in ways that are meaningful to the students and the community in general.
Twenty raised beds were created to educate, feed, support and give back to the community that the Freed School serves. The SHED Grant funded these raised beds, the dirt to fill the beds, and a compost bin. The new raised beds are part of the school’s Community Garden/STEM program and are used in the Better World Day celebration which takes place in early May.
Each class planted a bed with Junior High students guiding younger students to germinate seeds and plant them. In the fall, students took home garden produce. Freed School has a turtle named Scooter and three Guinea Pigs called Ivy, Bean, and Nancy who have also benefited from fresh produce grown in the new gardens. Garden crops were harvested and provided to local families experiencing food insecurity. The SHED Grant was leveraged to enable the Freed School to secure additional donations of wheelbarrows, shovels, and other tools.
