Campbell MS garden sparks student learning

Feb. 16, 2012— Campbell Middle School is using a grant from the Texas Department of Agriculture to build a laboratory garden designed to provide a hands-on educational experiences to students regarding how everyday food and textile items are grown.

The one-year grant allows for a $2,500 budget to be used through June 2012. Under the leadership of teacher/sponsor Denise Miller, 25 Campbell sixth-grade and New Arrival Center students plan daily and work weekly on the laboratory garden.

Staff and students have developed a partnership with Boy Scout Troop 1944 and the National Honor Society from Cypress Ranch High School, working side-by-side to build the garden beds.

The lab garden will develop awareness and knowledge of agriculture while allowing students to conduct investigations and provide opportunities to practice agriculture. Although the grant year concludes in June, principal Cheryl Henry said the long-term goal is to attract projects across the school from other subject areas and service groups who present project proposals to the student lab project committee.

“I am absolutely thrilled about our garden. The Texas Department of Agriculture has sparked a fire inside our scholars to become more knowledgeable about how things grow,” Henry said. “We are very fortunate to have staff members, led by Ms. Miller, show the commitment to work side by side with our scholars on this project. We are also very grateful for the initial support we received in building the garden beds from Boy Scout Troop 1944 and the Cy Ranch NHS. The garden is already producing sprouts—come watch us grow.”