We're proud to partner with the schools in
Winnebago County in order to bring garden-based education and fresh food to some of the
youngest citizens of the Fox Valley.
Emmeline Cook Elementary
Begun in 2013, Emmeline Cook was one of the first schools in the Oshkosh School District to have a garden. Students work with the garden in their classrooms as well as with the YMCA and Lighted School House after school programs during the school year. Over the summer, garden engagement occurs in partnership with the Oshkosh Recreation Department's Playground days, Tot Time, and other programs. Families in the Emmeline Cook neighborhood are welcome to come and enjoy the produce throughout the growing season.
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Webster Stanley Elementary & Middle
Also started in 2013, Webster helped pilot the school gardens in the Oshkosh Area School District. Students interact with the gardens in their classrooms in the spring to accomplish seed sowing and transplanting. In addition, students in the Lighted School House After school program help water and harvest the gardens. They also helped paint the beds in 2016. Webster has been a site for summer Rec Department gardening programs, and in 2016 the middle school added two more raised beds, increasing the total number of raised beds to 8. The middle school continues to work on garden expansion projects for the spring of 2017.
Washington Elementary
Begun in 2014, Washington's gardens sit in the front of their school not far from the playground. Students work together in their classrooms to accomplish seed sowing and transplanting. In addition, students in the Lighted School House after school program help water and harvest the gardens. The 5th grade students in 2016 piloted an activity in square-foot gardening and planned the school's gardens. It was highly successful and lots of fun! Along with planning the gardens for the first time, students also painted the beds.
Merrill Elementary and Middle
Our largest project to date, Merrill's 10 raised beds were built in the spring of 2015. Elementary students engage in the gardens through their classrooms by seed sowing and transplanting. Both the elementary and middle after school programs work with the gardens through activities such as garlic planting, topping off the gardens with compost, and fall clean-up. In addition, several 7th grade classes piloted a mushroom growing activity in their science class.
Read Elementary
Read Elementary's gardens have been embraced by school community since their construction in 2015! Students, parents, and faculty keep this garden well harvested and beautiful. Students engage in the gardens through their classrooms, with the afterschool care, and through Rec Department programs.
Oaklawn Elementary
Started in 2015, Oaklawn Elementary's gardens have been embraced by school community through students in the classroom, the summer school program, and interaction with students from the Oshkosh Receational Department's Playground days. These gardens are also a host site for many of our partner programs with the Oshkosh Recreational Department.
Franklin Elementary
Built in the spring of 2016 in conjunction with Franklin's PTO and multiple Boy & Girl Scout groups, Franklin's gardens have had a tremendous amount of parent and school family involvment. Thus far, students have participated in the gardens by signing up for weekly watering duties with their families, in their classrooms growing seedlings, and during the Playground times put on by the Oshkosh Recreational Department. The gardens sit next to Franklin's current Woodland garden, which is in the middle of renovation to join the spaces into a large outdoor classoom space.
Roosevelt Elementary
Built in the spring of 2016, Roosevelt's garden was sponsered by their PALs (Partners at Learning), the Oshkosh Southwest Rotary. In addition, GO partnered with several Communities students at North High School who helped build the gardens and lead the seed sowing and transplanting activities with the elementary students. Thus far, students have participated in the gardens by signing up for weekly watering duties with their families, in their classrooms, and during the Lighted School House after school program.
Smith Elementary
Built in 2016, every step of building, planting, and watering Smith's gardens has been done in part with their student-driven Green Team. Smith's Green Team meets once a month after school to plan, sow seedlings, transplant, and up-keep their gardens. They've also done other garden-related activities such as making a mini herb garden to take home.