Sowing the Seeds of Community at Shorecliffs

So many children go through school reading, writing, calculating and regurgitating information, missing out on many hands-on skills. 

But at Shorecliffs Middle School, a new learning tool to help students learn a valuable skill essential 200 years ago, but largely a hobby today: growing food. 

The Shorecliffs West View Learning Garden is that new tool, which aims to get kids off the computer and out from in front of the television, at least for a while.

Shorecliffs life science teacher Jenny Goit has led the project's development over the past year, along with the dedication and effort of many parents, students, staff, and community members. 

Last school year, the plot was just a dirt hill behind the library. Now, it's a flourishing oasis. Boy and Girl Scouts and parents assisted in building planters, fences, benches, stairs and terraces.

Local and national businesses donated seeds, soil and plants. Students have done much of the planting and tending of the garden, under the supervision of teachers Goit and Tom Morales.

This teaching facility is used by many teachers at Shorecliffs. The science department uses it to investigate soil, plant life cycles, ecosystem interactions and species diversity. The art classes have come out to draw the beautiful plants and structures in the garden. The English classes come out to read poetry on the benches. 

Walt Whitman would approve.  

Goit hopes that the garden not only teaches students the skills to grow food, but develops in them an appreciation for nature and the satisfaction of working outdoors. These children will be the caretakers of the planet one day, and it is important that they be good stewards of the earth, she said.

The grand opening celebration for the garden Saturday afternoon saw an outpouring of community support. The picnic entertained close to 300 guests.

Complementing the pasta prepared by chef Bill Happy were salads made using ingredients grown in the garden, lettuce donated by South Coast Farms and fresh-squeezed lemonade made with lemons and mint from the garden. 

Also present were who provided smoothies, Brick Pizzeria offering pizza, , , Raw Family, and the who raffled off a community-supported agriculture produce basket from South Coast Farms.

Seedlings from the garden were available for purchase to encourage families to start their own backyard gardens. designed arrangements for the tables, and the Ecology Center conducted a garden workshop. 

In between workshops, participants enjoyed classical guitar music by Alexander Goit. In the spirit of fresh, locally grown organic food, there was also a table for the Label GMO campaign. They were collecting signatures to get a ballot initiative on the November ballot to have genetically modified foods clearly labeled as such.

The celebration was an opportunity for families to slow down and enjoy food, music and conversation with other friends from the community. The event raised both funds for the garden and awareness of our need for fresher, healthier food.

To learn more about the garden, or to get involved, please visit the garden website at http://shorecliffs.schoolloop.com/garden.

Disclosure: Wendy Berube is a teacher with the Capistrano Unified School District. She has also been a columnist for San Clemente Patch.