Neighbors Support Stonewall Gardens
Dear Stonewall Neighbor,
Our neighbors in East Dallas around Stonewall Jackson Elementary are great supporters of our school. Many appreciate Stonewall for its strong academics, special programs, and spirit of community. The school brings families to the neighborhood and helps to keep our community diverse and thriving. And in return, the school enjoys the support of many in the community, both individuals and businesses.
Each year, we come to you with a request to keep this school a special place that enriches our neighborhood – and each year you have responded generously. We ask again that you help us fund our long-standing and much admired outdoor science lab program, the Stonewall Garden, serving nearly 600 students each week with innovative, hands-on outdoor education. Without your support, this great program could not exist!
The story of our garden program begins more than 15 years ago, when a Stonewall teacher planted a plot of beans to show 2nd graders the life cycle of plants. That notion – that a garden can be a hands-on science teaching tool – has always been at the heart of the Stonewall Garden program. Since then, the garden has grown into a 20,000 sq. ft. ecosystem that includes student crops, a Texas native wildscape, compost area, chicken coop and pond. Students attend weekly classes, and the Garden drives science learning for all grades, kinder through fifth. As more schools plant gardens, the Stonewall Garden program serves as a proven model of innovative teaching and effective science instruction for educators everywhere.
The power of our garden program is clear to many, so clear in fact that it continues today without any District or Department of Education support. This model program is entirely funded by the community! Thanks to school families, our neighbors like you, area businesses, and grants, we can continue this program in spite of budget cuts that eliminated our garden instructor position in 2008.
Your support is crucial to keeping the program growing! With a donation to Stonewall Gardens, your dollars go right to work funding innovative education in our own backyard.
$150 funds a student in the Stonewall Garden program for an entire year
Donations in ANY amount help pay for our full-time instructor, garden supplies and science equipment.
We truly appreciate your support and welcome any donation to keep our garden growing! Please read more about this program at www.stonewallgardens.org, make a secure online donation, or learn about our donor thank you gifts. Thank you for supporting Nature’s Classroom!
Kate Cromwell
President, Stonewall Gardens
