“I have also had the great pleasure to see my colleagues
working out in the garden with their students at every
grade at Oakmont,” said Ayuso, who spearheaded the
effort to bring the garden to Oakmont. “Seeing the
students and their teachers working in the garden made
me feel like every ounce of hard work invested in the
installation of the garden for close to three years was well
worth it.”
REAL School Gardens began about 15 years ago in
Fort Worth. The organization has installed more than 150
projects, trained more than 5,000 teachers and served and
connected with at least 80,000 students, Freeman said.
“We don’t just put in this garden and leave,” she said.
“We will assign one of our master science instructional
coaches to come and work with a team of teachers here
on campus.”
Teachers receive professional development for two
years to learn to use the garden to teach in innovative
and experiential ways. Freeman said some of their
partner schools have seen an increase in passing rates on
standardized tests in math and science.
“We know our program works, and we are very excited
to be, for the first time, here in Crowley ISD,” she said.
Oakmont students were grateful for the volunteers
who transformed an empty area behind the school into a
beautiful outdoor learning space.
“I feel very thankful and happy because I see they care
for the students and they care for nature,” said fourth-
grader Karyme Ortiz, who was excited about the insects
the garden will bring.
“It’s great because we get to learn about different
creatures — butterflies and bugs, and we get to go outside
and smell the fresh air,” she said.
Ayuso said Oakmont serves students from nearly two
dozen apartment complexes and not experienced working
in a garden.
“(The idea) really just came from a place of wanting
to give my students the best opportunity that they could
have to learn the most they could learn,” she said. “We
have a large population of students who don’t have these
experiences. Giving them this experiential background
will help them hopefully become good stewards of their
planet.”
BY THE NUMBERS
26 tons of soil, sand and stone
117 plants, herbs and trees
2,105 square feet of concrete and flagstone paving
40 feet of fencing
615 square feet of vegetable, herb and wildflower
Students have the opportunity to get up close and personal with
nature and science in the garden and outdoor learning classroom.
More than 100 volunteers put in a full day’s work to construct the garden during the “Big Dig” day in April.
Check out the new Automotive Technology
program on the Crowley ISD YouTube Channel.
14 CROWLEY ISD CONNECTIONS | Fall 2016