Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/669580
Students also love trying new foods, like spicy daikon radish, jicama, jujube and kale that are fresh from the garden. The Garden Club has implemented a Garden to Café program, so that produce grown and harvested on-site is served in the cafeteria. "I've started incorporating the garden into my math class," says Stuart, a San Diego Education Association (SDEA) member. "I'm asking students to calculate how much food they need to provide to the cafeteria's salad bar to meet the needs of students. It's a real-life application of geometry to lay out the garden and run numbers to calculate yields." The inner -city high school has a large immi- grant population, with students from 47 countries who speak 70 languages. Many are homesick for a way of life that includes growing their own food, and are eager to work in the garden and greenhouse. The International Rescue Committee offers internships for stu- dents to work in the garden so they can gain job experience and learn about nutrition. "I like to see plants growing because it's a touch of home," says Bosco Imanizabayo, who arrived from the Congo three years ago. "My favorite thing is the cabbage." But it's not just immigrant students who are excited about the garden. Others tell Stuart they find it an enjoyable and therapeutic experience. "I started working in the garden a few weeks ago, and now I'm doing it every day," says Andrea Medina, 18. "It's really relaxing and fun to watch things grow. And I enjoy being outside." Brian Black, who teaches design and mixed media, incorporates the garden into lessons. Students cre- ate artwork from patterns and sequences in plants. Sometimes they get ideas for biomimicry projects, which are inventions inspired by nature. (For exam- ple, scientists copied sharkskin to produce a coating that reduces the drag on boats.) "Gardens can be a great resource for all teachers," says Black, also an SDEA member. "It's a wonderful thing this school has started." ' L E T ' S G O O U T S I D E ' P R O J E C T T H R I V E S I N T H E D E S E R T Students put on their backpacks, then take turns rappelling down an incline with a cable secured around their waist. Once they descend, they hike over to a rock wall and begin climbing. e students aren't in the wilderness; they are in their very own school yard. ey are preparing for wilderness experiences by participating in a unique PE class at James Workman Middle Crawford High School math teacher and Garden Club adviser Michelle Stuart, right, with Kyla Archeta and Bosco Imanizabayo. Brian Black 20 cta.org