Like the name of the beloved children’s book, Zavala Assistant Principal Erin Reddell and teacher Sandy Huertas were awarded a $2,620 Education Foundation grant to create The Secret Garden on campus.
There is an area between the two wings of Zavala where nobody goes and that’s where they have decided to put the garden and where the name comes from.
“That’s where we’re going to put it,” Reddell said. “We haven’t built it yet. We’ve ordered all the supplies and either sometime at the end of this month (January), or the first couple of weeks of February we’re going to invite some of our parents to come help us put it all together, and then start growing plants.”
They also are going to get help from the Master Gardeners.
Reddell said they are planning to grow a little bit of everything — herbs, flowers, maybe some vegetables and a little bit of fruit.
Reddell said the garden kind of lends itself to the choice (formerly known as magnet) program at Zavala, communities and careers. Zavala has about 430 students in prekindergarten through second grade. About 70 stay for the choice program after school.
“We thought this would (offer) an opportunity for those students to learn some skills that might be useful for them in the future,” Reddell said.
Huertas said it could be incorporated into their markets where items could be sold. She added that the students will have a chance to work in the garden.
“We bought supplies … like watering cans and little shovels, trowels and gloves. They’ll have their own gloves,” Reddell said.
“It’s all part of … the maintenance of it and learning that you don’t just buy it at the store. You’ve got to grow it,” Huertas said.
They are hoping this will inspire students to grow things at home.
“That’s one reason we want to involve our parents a little bit, too, is to make that school-home connection,” Reddell said.
She added that they are hoping the garden will draw more students to stay for the choice program after school.
“That’s one of our goals is to grow our program,” Reddell said.
Huertas said she and Reddell usually apply for grants together.
“We make a good team,” Reddell said.
Huertas said she has learned things even if she didn’t realize it.
“She will come in here and she’ll go over stuff and we’ll go over it together and see what needs to be changed; if anything needs to be changed,” Huertas said, and she’ll ask questions.
They would both encourage other teachers and administrators to apply for Education Foundation grants.
“This is a great way to be innovative and a lot of times the school budget doesn’t help with that because there’s no room for innovation, I guess. But it helps really to supplement that innovation and get some new ideas out there,” Reddell said.
Reddell said they are getting ready to have a market around Valentine’s Day.
They had one before Christmas where students sold edible reindeer, pretzels and stockings, Huertas said.
“The kids get really excited when they get to sell things and they really learn the value of money because just teaching it in the classroom they don’t really learn that value until they actually do it … put in practice and then they understand,” Reddell said.
She added that it didn’t take her long to write the grant because she had done several before.
“It took me two or three days to get everything where I wanted it,” Reddell said.
Previously, it would take her a couple of weeks to write.
“I’ve gotten a little quicker, but I still put a lot of thought into it,” she added.
Reddell said she thinks the secret to writing the grants is to be reader friendly.
“If you put too much educational lingo in it sometimes it throws people off and they don’t understand it, or understand the purpose behind it, so you have to understand the reader, like who’s actually giving you the grants,” Reddell said.
