St. John's Dedicates New School Garden

On October 16, St. John’s Episcopal School’s campus in Rancho Santa Margarita was abuzz with students, faculty and staff, church members, and local community members who all gathered for the St. John’s Garden Dedication ceremony on a beautiful fall afternoon.

Bishop Diane Bruce from the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles presided over the ceremony, leading a dedication prayer. Tony Beall, the former Mayor of Rancho Santa Margarita and current RSM Council Member, Mike Conte from the RSM Chamber of Commerce, and Andrew Fromm on behalf of Assemblywoman Diane Harkey, each made proclamations and presented the School with Certificates of Recognition for enriching the Rancho Santa Margarita community.

The dedication culminated with a ceremonial “Releasing of the Worms,” where students released earthworms into their planter beds to both symbolize and encourage a prosperous harvest.

Inspiration for the St. John’s Garden began in the fall of 2013, when St. John’s began collaborating with St. John’s Episcopal Church members to embark on the Seeds of Hope campaign developed by Bishop John Bruno from the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. The Seeds of Hope mission is to grow food to distribute to families in need.

In an effort to perpetuate this mission, St. John’s constructed a garden on school grounds during the 2013-2014 school year. Having been properly dedicated, the St. John’s Garden now serves as a school-wide outdoor classroom with each grade level growing fruits and vegetables in their own planter bed. As their bounty grows, students will harvest their crops to donate to the Rancho Santa Margarita Food Bank.

Constructing the garden was truly a community affair and would not have been possible without the generous support of St. John’s church member, Chuck Verger, who designed the garden, Plantenders and the Teitleman family who donated various trees, Boy Scout Troop Number 1618 who offered a helping hand during the summer, and the National Association of Episcopal Schools who funded grant money for garden tools.

STEAM in the Garden

The garden is also being used to promote the School’s new science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (“STEAM”) approach to learning. STEAM is not a curriculum, it a project-based interdisciplinary learning approach to education that addresses the importance of communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity. For example, students study plant anatomy and the biological process of photosynthesis in science class while learning about perimeters, measurements, and area as they design the layout of their planter beds in math class.

St. John’s is excited to be leading the way in STEAM education in Orange County. To learn more about St. John’s innovative program for children 8 weeks through 8th Grade, contact the Admissions Office at (949) 858-5144 or visit www.stjohns-es.org to register for one of our upcoming Admissions Events:

Fall Program Preview - November 7, 8:30-10:30 a.m.
Admissions Open House – January 10, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

St. John’s in the News

Check out additional coverage of this story in the Episcopal News Weekly!