What a week we had in Fresno. The opportunities we had to engage with all the departments and administrative officials at Rutherford B. Gaston Sr. Middle School were outstanding. The Project Based Learning training seminars and discussions resulted in challenging and captivating questions that will drive the school garden projects for the 7th and 8th grade students. All of the questions developed will feed into the entire school garden-based project and incorporate the curricula across the math, science, history, and English/Spanish Language departments.
The 7th and 8th grade students will be integrating biology, engineering, design, math, expository writing and debating skills while including methods from ancient civilizations learned in history class, into the school garden project and their presentations. The Gaston Middle School garden projects, developed by each educational department, will have the collective goal of feeding the hungry in the Gaston community. Additionally, the project will help teachers integrate Project Based Learning methods into their lessons throughout the year.
Why are students and teachers basing their projects off the school garden? Because it is a medium that can help solve real-world problems in the Fresno community, such as child and adult hunger. Furthermore, students will be able to learn about the importance and difference between nutrition in a variety of foods. Following the completion of their respective projects, students will have the opportunity to harvest their produce that they’ve grown, plant new crops, and kickstart a virtuous cycle of sustainable garden growth. Developing and maintaining a school garden has an extraordinary amount of benefits and avenues that lead to even more growth in a community. Check out this project that turned into a life-changing experience for students and teachers alike in the South Bronx.
PBL can change a student, a school, and an entire community for the better. This is why we are committed to showing students, educators, and institutions the power behind Project Based Learning. A school garden can solely be just a garden, but with determination, compassion, and a result-driven method, it becomes a symbol of growth and prosperity for students, teachers, and the community.
We want to again thank each and every teacher, educator, and administrative official at Gaston Middle School for welcoming us into their institution with open arms and open minds. During our time there, from Monday to Friday, we constantly encountered passionate attitudes from teachers who are ready to use PBL methods to their maximum potential. We are looking forward to checking back in periodically with Fresno’s Gaston Middle School to see how their projects are coming along.
Once again, a big thank you to Gaston Middle School, the Fresno Unified School District, every Education Department, all the teachers and administrative officials, especially Principal Felicia Quarles-Treadwell, and of course, the students. We wish you guys the best of luck on your projects! It’s only goodbye for now, we’ll be back soon!
And yes, we did make a pit stop at Yosemite National Park! What a view. Those giant sequoias are massive!
