Program Update: Summer Institute Reflection

On July 16th to 19th, the 2024 Summer Institute for Garden-based Teaching brought together teams of educators from 15 D.C. schools for 4 days of learning at the National Arboretum. Despite the sweltering heat wave, 35 educators showed up to learn from a wide array of presenters, including teachers who were past participants and D.C. garden organization staff. Each day of the Summer Institute is intentionally designed to give educators and staff a foundation to build school garden programs that last and a supportive community around this work.

Days 1 and 2 featured workshops and activities both indoors and outdoors at the Washington Youth Garden where participants reflected on their personal and professional “why’s”, got their hands dirty practicing gardening skills, learned how to manage groups of students outdoors, integrated the garden into their curriculum, and more! The third day allowed participants to tour school gardens and hear from school garden teams from all over the District. The last day showcased facilitators and presenters sharing their “tried and true” garden activities and gave our school teams time to set goals and plan for the school year by creating logic models for their garden program and sharing their school team “why”. 

We are so thankful for our 2024 cohort of teachers and staff that came out to learn with us, connect with each other, and commit to bringing more students outside to learn through gardening. One participant shared, “…before, I didn’t understand the importance of gardens in learning. Now, I understand even more how we connect with nature and how much it helps us emotionally and socially. Thanks to the program, I was able to understand much more about all of this, in addition to the resources and programs that exist to provide support and the activities that can be incorporated into the students and community.”

This Institute could not happen without support from OSSE as well as our partner teachers from D.C. schools coming out to facilitate sessions and share their knowledge. We always value our fellow community organizations for sharing their programs and skills with our participants, including City Blossoms, Urban Adventure Squad, Cultivate the City, FreshFarm FoodPrints, the U.S. Botanic Garden, D.C. Beekeepers Alliance, FoodCorps, Grow DC / UDC Master Gardeners, DDOT Urban Forestry, and the School Garden Support Organization. Lastly, thanks to our local businesses and restaurants like Chopt, Mom’s Organic Market, Teaism, and Whole Foods for donating food, drinks, and supplies to take care of our participants.

Though the 2024 Summer Institute for Garden-based Teaching is over, we’re looking forward to seeing what our educators accomplish this school year. If you missed us this summer, you can join us for Fall Into School Gardening on Saturday, September 14th for training and supplies to jump start your school garden!

— Ashley Rattanawan
School Garden Support Program Manager