Bouncing Back: Middle School Garden Returns This Year

After a COVID hiatus, the sixth grade garden is up and running again.

Students were excited to dig in and plant their basil seeds along with peppers, eggplants, parsley, cilantro, strawberry, and tulsi.

The middle school garden began in the Fall of 2018 as a means to teach our sixth graders about their natural world. To make the most of the space on campus, the science department sought ways to create meaningful experiences for our students. 

In 2018, the entire curriculum was redeveloped and expanded from six to nine beds in order to accommodate 100+ sixth graders. Interdisciplinary projects like measuring out square-foot plots for each student during math classes blurred the lines of segmented disciplines.

Produce from the garden was supplied to SAGE dining services who prepared it for the rest of the PTS community. The students also learned entrepreneurship by selling $250 worth of homegrown vegetables and flowers at the International Festival in 2019. 

In 2020, the school successfully partnered with Commodore Hospitality Group and their restaurants Farinelli 1937 and Strada in the Grove to supply them with organically grown produce without the use of artificial pesticides or fertilizers.

This year, PTS is "looking forward to a continuing relationship with [alumnus Javier Uribe '10] and Commodore Hospitality Group," said Mr. Robert Moore, Middle School Science Chair.