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May 3, 2011
It’s no longer a secret…West End IB World School has a garden!
West End IB World School  2011 "I Can Grow" Youth Garden Award Winner

Thank you, Burpee Home Gardens!

Thanks to the wonderful folks at Burpee Home Gardens and their 2011 “I Can Grow” Youth Garden Award Program, West End IB World School in Nashville, Tennessee was given the opportunity to transform a patch of grass into an outdoor classroom and garden filled with vegetables and herbs.

For quite some time, the teachers, students and parents at West End IB World School have envisioned a classroom where there are no walls, no ceiling and no limits to learning opportunities. Thanks to Burpee Home Gardens, this vision is now a reality!

On April 28, our fifth and sixth graders, along with Burpee Home Gardens installation team members, planted over 250 vegetables and herbs in 17 4 x 4 raised beds! This garden is a vital component of our Outdoor Classroom and Garden Project. The students, teachers and parents have worked closely with Jeffrey Orkin and Cliff Jones of Landscape Solutions in Nashville to come up with a design that will offer our students creative, hands-on learning opportunities that aren’t available to them in their regular classrooms.

How do you engage over 400 middle school students and teach them about our environment, sustainability, resource conservation, healthy eating habits, and the importance of community and service? According to teachers Mary Katherine Stone and Erick Olmstead, you take them outside to the garden and you get them digging in the dirt and learning about the world around them. The Garden is an excellent tool to teach across the curriculum — from science to math, humanities to language arts, physical education to visual arts. In the garden, our students will connect with their natural world in a stress-free environment in which they can wonder, inquire, explore, communicate, think and reflect.

What started as a rain garden to alleviate a drainage problem on campus has turned into an Outdoor Classroom and Garden Project. In addition to the raised beds filled with Burpee Home Garden veggies and herbs, our Outdoor Classroom and Garden will include a variety of gardens, certified wildlife habitats, a composting site, fruit tree orchard, tree nursery, a weather station and an art garden.

Check out the before and after photos of the garden below, and be sure to stay tuned for more about the Burpee Planting Day at West End IB World School. We’ll have many great photos and videos to post! ~ Julie Prince

"Before" images of the West End IB World School grounds.

Before the new raised garden beds at West End IB World School, Nashville, TN.

The West End IB World School before the raised garden beds arrive.

The crew of Landscape Solutions in Nashville helped design and build the 17 raised garden beds.

Finishing touches on the 17 beds for West End IB World School.

The team from of Landscape Solutions in Nashville help build and transplant the garden beds.

The beds were built on-site. Students and faculty helped where they could: preparing the ground, adding soil, etc.

Preparing the soil for their new raised beds.

After placing them in a sunny location, the beds stand ready for filling!

These 17 beds will hold nearly 275 vegetable and herbs from Burpee Home Gardens.

In goes the soil and organics. Almost ready for planting day.

A job well done! The beds are ready for the installation of more than 275 vegetable and herb plants from Burpee Home Gardens.

Building complete! The beds stand ready for students and Burpee.

Reader Comments (34)
I am very happy about this garden that we are growing right outside our school! It will definitely make are school lunches healthier. I planted the okra. It will give us students responsibility for our garden!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011 | Adrian
I like to go outside and feel the cool air when I am planting trees, flowers, fruits, and vegetables. When I was outside on 4-28-11 we planted okra. It was fun. I learned a lot of things. I learned how to plant okra, dig a hole, and tear the plants apart. It was the best day ever. Thank you Burpee! Now we have a lot of fruit and vegetables.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011 | Ariel
I am happy to have this garden at school. My classmates and I are going to take care of it. Burpee I would like to thank you for all the plants you gave us. We will have fun doing experiments with the plants. It will be delicious once we eat it.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011 | Ben
I thought the gardening was fun and I am looking ford to eating some of the plants. I also liked the free t-shirts. I love free t-shirts.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011 | Max
Thank you so much for supporting us with our outdoor classroom. I was not here for planting day, but I know I will get to help out a lot. I hope that other schools will see what we are doing and start their own garden. Then, the other schools could eat the vegetables in the cafeteria like we might do. In class we came up with a lot of thoughts for what we could do with the gardens. We came up with a lot of ideas and most of them were great ideas. This one is one of my favorites: EATING THEM! When we go outside and look at the gardens you just want the vegetables to be ready to eat. They look so good. I also think that if all of the students in our school have a part in raising the vegetables then everyone would want to eat them more. We also figured this out: If we have fewer trucks coming in to give us food for the cafeteria because we grow our own food that means less pollution. I’m glad that you like our idea and that you support us. Again, thank you soooooo much!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011 | Emma
I think that the outdoor garden is a great idea. Planting fresh vegetables for the cafeteria is a good idea because one: they will taste better. Two: We don’t have to use as much packaging from cans. Three: We get to learn to plant vegetables, fruits, etc.

Now I wasn’t there when they planted all of it because of an encore field trip we had, but I did get to help out with getting soil into pots one day. It was a little weird when I figured out that the bad smell was that the soil was made partly of cow manure, but I got used to it.

I am excited for my school and all the other schools that are doing an outdoor classroom, because I think that it is a good Idea to be able to learn about nature (science), while in nature. I am also glad to learn about how to grow plants considering the fact that I currently am not the best at it.

This is a great opportunity for our school and the other schools doing this. I am happy that Burpee was kind enough to give our school a grant to make all this happen.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011 | Will
Thursday, April 28th 2011, West End Middle School planted. I am a student of West End. We planted with Burpee Home Gardens. When we planted, it was amazing. I don’t know if anybody else was amazed, but I was. To know that these little green things are going to grow to be tasty and healthy is incredible. I can’t wait to watch them grow. We planted pumpkin, okra, basil, squash, egg plant, tomatoes, watermelon, and much more. I can’t wait to eat them. If we have leftovers, we are going to give some to the cafeteria and give the rest to the homeless.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011 | Hailey
Yesterday, Burpee helped us plant veggies, herbs, and more. I planted a tomato. Soon yummy tomatoes will grow there. I am SO glad to be a part of this. Thank you Burpee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011 | Jessica
I loved when Burpee came to West End Middle School. I don’t really like getting my hands dirty, but they brought gloves so your hands would not to get so dirty. So for the people that did not like it getting their hand dirty could still do it. Burpees really helped are school out well can save gas and that helps stop pollution. It saves a lot of money for our school and we can go on more field trips and for the kids that can’t afford we would have enough money to pay for it. It is good for us and we can always use them in our lunch room. Thank you Burpee!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011 | Keneisha
When I planted Sugar Baby Watermelons I had fun getting my hands dirty. I really liked putting the soil in the dirt bin and I had so much fun. If Burpee could come back and we were going to do all of this again I think that I would do better because I really don’t think I did a good job. When I first started I put way too many plants in the bin and me and my partner had to take some out and make sure that we put the soil back into the dirt cup. Thank you so much Burpee for helping us plant.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011 | Larriona
I liked when I planted and dig a hole it was so much fun and I wish that we can do that again……..
I am so happy that Burpee people came to WEST END IB WORLD SCHOOL to teach us how to plant but I knew that WEST END people knew how to plant but it was so much fun and we all got so dirty …………
Tuesday, May 3, 2011 | Malwa
On Thursday April 28th, 2011 Burpee Home Garden came to West End Middle School. I’m a student from West End Middle and I truly enjoyed Burpee Home Garden coming to our school. Now at our school we are planting tomatoes, corn, basil, watermelon, okra, squash, egg plants, cucumbers, and pumpkin. Now we are going to have fresh fruit and vegetables. What we are planning to do is give the fruit and vegetables to our cafeteria, and if we have leftovers we are going to give the homeless citizens. I really do thank Burpee for coming to our school and helping us out.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011 | Tiara
I have never planted before until yesterday with Burpee Home Gardens. I planted a super steak tomato, I don’t really ever eat tomatoes and stuff like that but I think I might eat it because I will be planting it. Nothing has grown yet that’s because we planted them yesterday but we are watering them that’s all I have to say
Tuesday, May 3, 2011 | Reilly
I wasn’t there when you guys planted, but looking at it, it looks AMAZING!!!! I didn’t realize how much you guys got done. I’m looking forward to having fresh veggies, like watermelon, cantaloupe, corn and tomatoes. It will really help make the outdoor classroom look better. It will also make the cafeteria healthier.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011 | Sam
Thank you for choosing our school for planting. Everything looks so pretty and I can’t wait to see them grow and produce food. The mulch that we put the plants in feels really damp and good. You guys want to make me be a plant now. P.S. some of the plants are starting to grow a little. Also you guys rock for picking us. Did I already say that you guys rock?
Tuesday, May 3, 2011 | Soliel
The benefits of having a class garden are: 1) having a class garden can help us to get fruits and veggies during the day. 2) with a class garden we can go outside and take care of a wonderful garden.? 3) helping plant the garden was very fun! So I recommend you help plant a class garden at your school! I learned of this site from my amazing teacher, Mr. Olmstead.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011 | Ethan F.
I really wasn’t there when it happened but at least I can still help. This garden will surely help this school and the world in three different ways; 1 it will give us fresh newly planted fruits and vegetables to eat, 2 since we have our foods there, trucks wouldn’t pollute the air coming and leaving the school, 3 it will teach the children responsibility. I look around at our garden and see many different colored plants with different shapes and sizes and wish I were there to help but there is still plenty to do. So I will have an opportunity to look back and see that my teachers, class mates, and I have done a good job.
There are different names of plants everywhere, some that I knew, and some that I’ve never heard of. I’m sure that these plants will get all of the resources they need such as sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide. I’m very thankful that Burpee has given West End a grand opportunity for fresh vegetation.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011 | Tony
Even though I couldn’t go outside and plant last week, I’m so glad that we’ll get a good opportunity to spend time outside with our classmates. I think that this will be a good experience for everyone (including teachers and staff members) to be working, getting our hands dirty, and having more fun in school. I also think that students will have more interest in being outside and taking care of plants. I am really looking forward to having classes at the outdoor classroom and fresh food at the cafeteria.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011 | Yukiko
It was great putting these plants in a area where it was just a patch of grass. but thanks to Burpee Home Gardens it has turned into a plants paradise.It was an adventure and a lot of fun doing it.Helping that patch was a great idea.So now we can eat them,well I dont want to go too fast on rushing them.But thanks again to Burpee Gardens and all of there volunteers coming out there to help us and
I just want and Im looking foward to doing another project with them.Thanks Burpeee you're the Best
Wednesday, May 4, 2011 | TJ
OK, I'm at WEMS. Garden was a big thing. Extra credit for science, too. I'm gonna try to take some watermelons (I can, you can too, we can do it according to our teacher).The plants haven't gotten that far (you can't eat them yet) but by fall, the watermelons will have grown like, 2 feet. Hey, we could supply Walmart, Kroger, and Publix with all this stuff and still have food left for Maggiano's. It's awesome, and we will be able to supply the cafeteria, and we won't have to eat the crappy frozen food. My sister and I (Emma's is up a little bit) will probably water while we're at our grandparent's house. WATERMELONS ARE GOOD! ! ! ! ! !
(especially the ones at West End)
Wednesday, May 4, 2011 | JOEL
WEMs will definatly grow from this experience. All of the students will now have a place to go and be at one with nature. I know that the students definitely grow from this experience.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011 | unknown
Thank you for bringing us a lot of vegetables. I’ve enjoyed planting the green squash the pumpkin and thank you for the free t-shirts that say Burpee on the back. Now we can pick our own fresh vegetables. We can also watch them grow all we’ve got to do is water them.
Thursday, May 5, 2011 | Zack
I PLANTED A PUMPKIN AND I LOVE PLANTING. THAT IS MY FAVORITE AND I LOVE PLANTING WITH THE BURPEE HOME GARDENS.WE ARE GOING TO EAT THE PUMPKIN AND COOK IT.
Thursday, May 5, 2011 | Tamyah
Yesterday was a blast; I got to learn how to plant red peppers. Also I would never eat a Red Pepper they are too hot for me. I got planted eggplant with Burpee Home Gardens I got an experience what it is like planting because I have not planted in forever It’s really fun watering and watching it grow I can’t wait till its fall. You want to know why because I really want to eat an eggplant. I finally now what it’s like planting an eggplant I have never smelled basil.
Thursday, May 5, 2011 | grahamwillis
Thank you so much for coming to our Schcool and helping us plant healthy stuff.
I don’t really don’t like to eat my veggies but it was still fun planting and watering. The good thing is that it rains a lot so the plants will grow:) I hope to eat some of those good veggies. And burpee you guys are one of the nicest people I have ever known in my life. Also I don’t like planting but you guys got me into planting ? thank you Burpee for getting me into planting I will never forget that moment I had when I planted my first plant.
Thursday, May 5, 2011 | edgar
Yesterday, Burpee we planted all kinds of veggies and herbs. I planted pumpkins. It was so much fun! It was hot, so digging in the cool soil felt good. We Planted, pumpkins, Tomato, Herbs, Eggplant, and Zucchini, I can’t wait till the tomatoes are ready I want to pluck one and eat it whole. I’ve never tasted Zucchini or Eggplant. I’m excited to try them both. I hope we can use it for cafeteria lunch so it can be healthier. I was disappointed that we only got to plant one bed, but it was still a lot of fun! We watered the plants but I did not get to but that was okay with me. Now I really want to plant one in my back yard.
Thursday, May 5, 2011 | Larkin
I like the green garden. I like the pumpkin. I like the water. I like the tomato. I like the tree. I like the plants. I like the grass. I like the beautiful flowers bee. I like the sun. I like the fruit. I like the corn. I like the peppers. I like to watch the plants. I like the carrot
Thursday, May 5, 2011 | Angel
When I planted the okra I it felt good to me that I was planting something that is helping my school. I put my hands through the dirt and it felt like heaven. I watered the flowers and I thought I was watering a lot of good plants. I love Burpee.
Thursday, May 5, 2011 | Jordin
I felt good about when I was getting dirty and planting of course. I felt happy planting the different kinds of veggies. Now I can see how the plants will grow and I will see it sprouting.
Thursday, May 5, 2011 | Sophie
Well I am happy that we will have a garden and that will have fresh vegetables for lunch and it will be better for us. I wonder what they will look like when they are finished growing. I just can’t wait for them to be grown.
Thursday, May 5, 2011 | Kaleb
Reflection

Yesterday, the flower beds were all empty and now there are all filled with cool vegetables and fruits. Yesterday, when I put my hands in the soil, it felt really cool and I fell like doing it again. We did all this because we wanted to stay healthy and feed the poor. We will try to keep them healthy and water it every day if we can. We will also provide the plant the space it needs and whatever to keep it alive. By doing this we are making a whole a lot of difference in the world. I will try to tell people in community to do better things to help the environment.
Thursday, May 5, 2011 | vikas sharma
Hey! (6/27/11)
We went to water the flowers this week since it is our week. The plants are growing well although I think we need some ladybugs because one of the large-leaf plants has a lot of aphid eggs or something. One of the best-growing plants is the basil and it smells good. Just an update to tell you guys it looks good (sadly I won't be at west TT.TT)
Tuesday, June 28, 2011 | Xena
I can't wait to make this for the lunchroom instead of what we used to eat! See the recipe for pizza! Today I was in the garden spending time just enjoying my day. The sun was shining and I noticed that the basil has grown 3 times its size! We have over ten little green tomatoes out there this week! I enjoyed spending time in the garden today doing photography on Macro of all the little blooms! They are so amazing to study. School is just a much better place because of the garden. It makes me feel like we must be the best school in the world! I said to myself...." Is there anywhere better than this?" The smell of the basil and the tomatoes is in the air and it smells so good it is making my mouth water. I am spending the day there again tomorrow.


Fresh Basil and Tomato Pizza

1 package hot roll mix, plus ingredients to prepare mix
3/4 cup pizza sauce
1 teaspoon minced garlic
8 ounces mozzarella cheese (2 cups shredded)
2 medium tomatoes (thinly sliced)
12 basil leaves or 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
Make hot roll mix according to package directions for pizza; pat dough onto greased 12- or 14-inch pizza pan, forming ridge around edge.
Mix pizza sauce and garlic; spread on crust. Top with cheese, tomatoes and basil.
Bake at 425°F (220°C) until crust is browned, 15 to 25 minutes.
Makes 8 servings.

Recipe provided courtesy of the American Dairy Association and Luncha McLady!!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011 | Luncha McLady
I love my school the most
THANK YOU,MS.JOLLY
Thursday, December 29, 2011 | arlen nobles
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