Masters Thesis

Sprouting seeds of sustainability: lessons in school supported agriculture

Through this project, I developed and assembled resources to assist high school educators with garden based learning. For the duration of one school year I served as the garden coordinator at the McKinleyville High School Garden. I gained instrumental first-hand experience in community organization and planning, curriculum development and implementation, and a greater understanding of the challenges associated with school supported agriculture. Teachers face many obstacles when providing students with hands-on learning experiences. The resources that I compiled are constructed with this in mind and can be adapted to a wide variety of educational situations. While the materials reflect my experience at the McKinleyville High School Garden, they are comprehensive and include resource references and supplemental materials to support the curriculum. The curriculum provides educators with the necessary tools to implement a garden based learning program that promotes self and collective empowerment and has the potential to encourage action for community change. This paper addresses the lessons learned throughout the process of implementing the curriculum and highlights the outlook for school supported agriculture in the future.

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