Gardening Know How’s School and Community Garden Sponsorship program was fortunate enough to help support 10 gardens with a $1,000 each. The gardens selected represent a small portion of the school and community gardens out there, and we are excited to share each of their stories with you. In fact, once a month we highlight one of these recipients so that you, too, can see how wonderful and worthwhile they are. This month we are featuring the City Language Immersion Charter School.

The City Language Immersion Charter, CLIC, is a charter school located in Los Angeles, California that is striving to pay it forward by mentoring others as they have been mentored. Their ultimate goal is for communities to come together, with parents at the forefront, in creating learning environments where academic excellence is available to ALL children.

With over half the student population considered low income, the CLIC is focused on providing high-quality education in the arts, supporting racial, ethnic and socioeconomic diversity. Currently, co-sharing two locations (Hillcrest Elementary and Coliseum Elementary), where classrooms are in ‘temporary’ portable structures surrounded by a sea of asphalt, they are hoping to create a more project-based learning environment by incorporating a hands-on school garden. And with the help of Gardening Know How and others, this is slowly becoming a reality.

Building planter boxes and growing trees and native vegetation is a great way to improve student, parent and teacher engagement. In fact, some of the parents have already formed a Beautification Committee at both locations that will help with maintaining the garden and other projects throughout the year – such as with a watering schedule for Hillcrest and Coliseum. The students now have a chance to connect with nature, allowing them the opportunity to grow their own herbs and vegetables. This also provides teachers with an excellent curriculum opportunity to incorporate in their current lesson plans.

Nothing is more important than a good education, and the garden is a great place to learn many of the skills and life lessons that will carry on throughout adulthood. Gardening Know How is excited to be a part of this endeavor!

UPDATE 1/27/18
City Language Immersion Charter School sent us photos (see below) of the woolly pockets they purchased with their sponsorship money and added: “The kindergarten classrooms were previously looking out at a blank concrete block wall, and now they have this beautiful wall to look at.”