TWO PAX CHRISTI Academies schools started the school year with another way for student learning: being outside, surrounded by plants and flowers, with the opportunity to get their hands in the dirt.
St. Joseph in Santa Ana and La Purísima in Orange now have their own mini- farm and outdoor classroom under a new organic farm program that teaches science, nutrition, sustainability and conservation. The lessons provide students with experiential education through hands-on learning, explained Pax Christi Academies President Dr. Christina Arellano.
“Through this collaboration, students will have the opportunity to learn beyond the traditional classroom, develop a deeper appreciation for nature, and cultivate important values such as patience, responsibility and stewardship,” Arellano said. “The garden program reflects Pax Christi’s commitment to nurturing the whole child and creating meaningful learning experiences that help students grow academically, socially and spiritually.”
PAX CHRISTI ACADEMIES ORGANIC FARM PHOTOS BY ALAN WENDELL/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
The students get time in the garden on a six-week rotating schedule. St. Joseph’s middle-school students started their first lesson on Oct. 21. Through a partnership with EnrichLA, volunteer Lynne Tien, aka “Ranger Lynne,” led the students through their first formal lesson. She is using a project-based Learning curriculum around composting for each of the middle school grades. By the end of the rotation, the sixth- graders will be utilizing their creativity to create a flyer or zine to teach others about different composting methods.
Specifically, the seventh-graders will create recipes designed to generate less waste by using commonly composted food, such as strawberry tops, into something edible. For the eighth grade, Ranger Lynne is challenging them to locate food waste at St. Joseph and create a composting system that could be implemented on campus.
“They need to communicate an idea of a structure of how we can keep composting here in the garden, consecutively and continuously,” she said. “I can’t wait to hear what they come up with.”
To kick it off, the seventh graders led their kinder buddies through the farm to identify any plants, flowers, fruits or vegetables they recognized. Then they got down to business, trying some watermelon grown on the farm. But Ranger Lynne made sure that nothing went to waste, showing the students how to cut the rind for composting, peel off the white layer to ferment like kimchi, and then eat the juicy red fruit.
The lessons on not being wasteful are already bearing fruit, with students being more conscious about what they throw away and save at lunchtime, said Principal Erica Avina. The lessons help teach them that God gave them everything and it’s their job to take care of it, she said.
“We, as stewards of God’s creations, remind students that we are granted that authority of plants and animals,” Avina said. “And we, as the stewards of God’s creations, for whatever is grown or whatever God gave us, it is our duty to take care of that, including our garden.”
The children’s families are getting inspired, too. At back-to-school night, parents visited the garden and took home some cilantro that their children were planting. Some expressed an interest in trying to grow their own food at home, said Claudia Garcia, Pax Christi Academies vice president of academic excellence and leadership.
“It was nice to see that they’re being inspired by our kids having those hands-on experiences, which we don’t always necessarily have,” Garcia said. “Not everyone gets to feel what it feels like to get your carrots out of the ground or see the squash grow.”
With the two gardens already showing signs of success, Pax Christi Academies’ goal is to expand the organic farm program to the remaining three schools in the future, Garcia added.