Growing School Gardens Summit hosts more than 400
In April 2022, HFHK Executive Director Lydia Sarson and Program Manager Jen Cipolla traveled to Denver to join over 400 school garden professionals from across the country for the first-ever national school garden conference. The Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation in partnership with Life Lab and the SGSO (School Garden Support Organization) Network hosted the gathering.
"I loved my work at HFHK before and knew the value it has to the students, but the stories people brought to the forefront were beyond powerful and energized me even more," stated Lydia. "We learned so much and now my goal is to bottle up what was felt in Denver and bring it to Delaware. I want people to know this is a movement!"
Sessions attended included "Speak their language: Easy peas-y impact communications for diverse stakeholders", "Providing Effective Support to School Gardens in your Region", and "From the Ground Up: Three perspectives on building a districtwide school garden program". The conference kicked-off with tours of Denver Public Schools, where 126 of its nearly 200 schools have a school garden program.
It was a phenomenal experience with a lot of connections made and knowledge gained," said Jen. "I can't wait to take some of what I learned in the 'Growing Our Youngest Gardeners' session and apply it to our program as we expand into early learning."
One of the connections made at the U.S. Botanic Gardens put us in touch with Brianne Stuber, the keynote speaker for our September 16 event, "Growing the Future: The Promise of the School Garden Movement".
"It was a phenomenal experience with a lot of connections made and knowledge gained," said Jen. "I can't wait to take some of what I learned in the 'Growing Our Youngest Gardeners' session and apply it to our program as we expand into early learning."
"I want people to really understand that school gardens are a proven and invaluable resource to schools. And I know the 2.5 million children throughout the U.S. who are currently working in gardens would agree. This is more than transformational work," said Lydia. “It truly is a movement.”
