Sagle Elementary
Sagle Elementary has had a GREAT year under the leadership of BCGA members Don Childress and Julie Kallemeyn. If you’re interested in volunteering with the Sagle Elementary school garden or would like to make a donation of funding or supplies, please contact the BCGA!
Through the eyes of a Sagle Elementary Gardening “Guru”
Julie Kallemeyn and I have been the leaders of the Sagle Elementary 5th Grade gardening program for the past 4 years.
Mr Tom Sawyer is the teacher whose class we mainly have worked with. Like all gardening programs, CoVid-19 proved to be somewhat of a disruption. In pre Covid times we would go into the classroom before each weekly session to explain the day’s activities and why it need done at this time. In the class-room we had the classes complete attention; during Covid times, when there was class, we would attempt the same information, but keeping everyone’s attention outside in the garden was somewhat a different story.
School year 2020, when remote learning was in vogue, Julie and I kept the garden going alone. 2021, brought the students back to our weekly gardening sessions while school was in session.
During the summer we could usually get two or three students to join us on a regular basis; these were the most enjoyable sessions as you really get to know the students and we can graze on the strawberries, carrots and tomatoes while we work (weed).
The crops that seem to work best in our garden of raised beds are garlic, tomatoes, lettuce and carrots, peas, potatoes and recently raspberries. We also have pole beans on a tepee shaped skeleton.
The students by and large have been enjoyable to work with and have shown an interest in the project.
– Don Childress
