WELCOME TO OUR GARDEN

In the Spring of 2008, the Oscar Mayer Magnet School Garden Project began.  Fourteen teachers signed on to introduce to their students to the joys of working in a garden.  Parents and volunteers prepared a 100' x 16' plot just south of the school's entrance on Clifton Avenue.  The kids started seeds, created worm bins, tilled their plots and finally planted some plants!  Even our Montessori classes have their very own garden plot on the south side of the building and they planted a salsa garden. 

Our main garden plot contains 16 individual 6' x 7' plots:  each classroom has chosen garden co-captains who are in charge of their class plot.  One 5th grade class had so many students who wanted to be garden captains that they had to write a letter, give a speech and be selected by their fellow classmates in order to earn their title (see....gardening can be cool too).  We have also planted a perennial garden in the south east corner of the main plot.

Three eighth grade classes partnered with DePaul students studying biodiversity and together they designed and planted two containers flanking our front entrance featuring plants native to Illinois.

Our goal is to get our kids interested in where food comes from, learn about our hard-working pollinators, create awareness about our environment and to help other Chicago Public Schools create their own schoolyard gardens.  We also want to shout from the rooftops that playing in the dirt is fun!

Thank you to all of the families who have contributed their time (and sweat) to the Garden Project and to Principal Katie Konieczny for her full support.  A big thank you to the wonderful teachers at Oscar Mayer Magnet School for your enthusiasm and patience .  

NEWS AND AWARDS

GRANT AWARDS & DONATIONS
2009

Annie's Homegrown (makers of those yummy cheese bunny crackers and organic mac and cheese) awarded Mayer with a Annie's Grant For Gardens.  We will receive a cash prize of $250 to help sustain The Garden Project with materials and plants.  Annie's receives thousands of requests for grant money so it is an honor to be recognized by them.  Next time you are shopping for snacks, try some bunny crackers http://www.annies.com.

This summer, local tavern and music venue The Hideout held a weekly Wednesday night bingo game with proceeds to benefit NeighborSpace, a local non-profit that helps community groups protect and secure their community garden or park from potential development and works in concert with many private and public partners to preserve and expand community managed open space in Chicago (http://www.neighbor-space.org/main.htm).  After donating a whopping $3,445 to NeighborSpace, The Hideout decided to spread the bingo wealth and the final four weeks were divided among local farmers and/or groups.  The Oscar Mayer Garden Project was the lucky recipient of the September 30th bingo bonanza and we received $231 dollars!  To read more about Veggie Bingo and the upcoming Soup and Bread events at the Hideout, please visit:  http://www.soupnbread.wordpress.com.  A huge thank you to Martha Bayne, Hideout bartender and fantastic blogger for inventing Veggie Bingo and for thinking of Mayer's Garden Project.

The Oscar Mayer Magnet School Garden Project was selected from more than 200 youth and community gardening programs nationwide to receive a tiller/cultivator from Mantis (http://www.mantis.com), valued at $349.