New Semester and New Projects

So my time on the Toyon staff ended with the Fall semester, and I have been on a long search for something productive to fill my time. My Environmental Studies Capstone class requires students to do a Service Learning Project in which we volunteer 30 hours over the semester to an organization of our choosing, and I have decided on the Pacific Union School (PU) garden in Arcata, CA. The teacher in charge of the garden plans to integrate 45-minute weekly gardening classes into the curriculum for all PU students, and I am one of two service learning (SL) students that will be helping him do just that. The kids will learn about gardening 101, food and food justice, health, cooking, and much more. Madi, the other SL, and I will be working with the kids, creating lesson plans for the classes, building a compost area, and doing garden maintenance. I’m so excited to “put my money where my mouth is” and integrate the interdisciplinary pedagogy of Environmental Studies into a community service project! I really hope to keep my own privilege and ideals in check and help make this garden a place where students are excited to learn.

Wish me luck.

~Ciera