As the school year comes to an end, and summer approaches, Gather and Grow celebrates another successful semester and school year at MLK Jr. Elementary School. This is our fourth semester providing STEM and gardening education at this school in South Phoenix. We have been lucky enough to continue our gardening education, thanks to the amazing faculty and staff at MLK.

As we reflect on the school year, we take note of the success and challenges we encountered this semester. We have found that our current operations: planting, sowing, and growing Soybean seeds, has progressed past our needs. These chosen seeds germinate quickly, but they are too fragile for the K-3 children to interact with as the plants grow. So, our summer goal is to research and find a new plant that would yield the same benefits to our lessons, while being more resilient to the curiosities of the young children.

Through our various partnerships and collaborations, we began the dialogue revolving around what teachers in other schools are growing for their children. We collaborate with a variety of local organizations and school staff, so these conversations are plentiful and effective. We are continuing to assess probable, new plants to grow with the kids into the next school year.

We are grateful and excited to continue our educational efforts into the next school year. This summer, we have a lot of work to do! Not only are we changing our focus plant and therefore some of our curriculum, we are also in the process of implementing a new catering educational path into our current teaching methods. As we continue to grow our operations, we continue to find new pathways to engage and connect with the local community. Stay tuned to see what we come up with later this year!