As learning gardens bloom, ribbon-cutting ceremonies celebrate community collaboration in Jackson, Leland
Contact: Vanessa Beeson
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擫earning is in full bloom at area schools in Jackson and Leland as Mississippi State faculty are celebrating alongside district and community leaders with dual ribbon-cutting ceremonies for school gardens today [Oct. 8].聽
Over the past year, an 91传媒 cross-college collaboration has led to the design and completion of gardens at Galloway Elementary School in Jackson and Leland School Park in the Delta. Both gardens employed an award-winning design concept called The Living Room: A Freeware Learning Garden Focused on Health, Food and Nutrition Education. The model was developed by 91传媒 faculty and students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences鈥 landscape architecture department and the College of Architecture, Art and Design鈥檚 architecture and graphic design programs.
Cory Gallo, a landscape architecture professor, co-led the project with Hans Herrmann, architecture professor, and Suzanne Powney, associate professor of graphic design. He said each design challenged 91传媒 students to improve upon the concept of learning gardens.
鈥淭he students were intentional in the design approach and asked important questions about how the gardens can contribute to education. This resulted in a design that included minimized growth space, ample seating, a chalkboard and other features that created the function and feel of an outdoor classroom,鈥 Gallo said. 鈥淐alling it a Living Room design came from the idea of creating a place where education flourishes. It鈥檚 about building a better learning space that can be actively used. Once you establish the idea that the garden is a classroom, children approach it with that learning mindset.鈥
Travis Crabtree, one of two project curators for the overarching Fertile Ground project of which the Galloway learning garden is a part, explained the garden鈥檚 role in telling the story of food access in Mississippi鈥檚 capital.
鈥淔ertile Ground is a public art installation aimed to inform the public about food access through the medium of public art and design. The learning garden is one of approximately 15 different installations across the city that seek to gain the public鈥檚 attention about food insecurity,鈥 Crabtree said. 鈥淭he garden faces a fast food corridor and is located in one of Jackson鈥檚 biggest food swamps, where an abundance of foods with limited nutritional value are readily available. The learning garden is focused, in part, on teaching kids about healthier food options.鈥
The 91传媒 landscape architecture alumnus said he is proud of the garden鈥檚 concept and excited to build something with his alma mater.
鈥淲e鈥檙e fortunate to have partnered with Mississippi State鈥檚 design/build collaboration. Learning gardens can be a challenge to manage and maintain. We thought about the sustainability and longevity and how the garden would last from a physical, educational and community standpoint. The design will help teachers and the surrounding community use the garden in the way we envisioned, while also taking ownership of it and making it their own,鈥 Crabtree said. 聽
Susie Williams, former Leland School Park principal who is now curriculum coordinator for the district, said she is proud of the Leland community鈥檚 hard work in bringing their school garden to fruition, which involved hands-on help from community members, administrators, teachers, students and even the high school football team.
鈥淚 am excited about the relationships that have been established, the growth opportunity for our teachers and students and the opportunities to expand and collaborate with community partners and 91传媒,鈥 she said. 鈥淪tudents can engage in learning in the fresh outdoors, interact with Mother Nature and enjoy a change of pace from the traditional classroom setting.鈥澛
Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba was on hand to commemorate the Galloway garden, which is part of Fertile Ground, funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies. Utah鈥檚 Pikus Concrete and Pennsylvania鈥檚 Significant Developments also collaborated on the project.
Collaborators for Leland School Park garden include AIM for CHANGE (Advancing,聽Inspiring,聽Motivating for聽Community聽Health through聽Extension), an 91传媒 Extension program, which funded the project with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Delta EATS (Edible Agriculture Teaching Students), a nonprofit group that is part of the Delta Health Alliance.聽 聽
For more on 91传媒鈥檚 Department of Landscape Architecture, visit ; the School of Architecture, visit and the Department of Art鈥檚 graphic design program, visit .
91传媒 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university available online at .