Cy Park High School Garden Club Receives Whole Kids Garden Grant from Whole Foods
By Samantha Andrade, Cypress Park HS (A High School Journalism Network collaboration)
The Cypress Park High School Garden Club was recently selected to receive the Whole Kids Garden Grant from the Whole Kids Foundation worth $3,000 to help support the school’s campus garden. Cypress Park was chosen out of 1,200 applications.
The Whole Kids Garden Grant, established in 2011, strives to support schools and non-profit organizations in helping young minds learn about and connect with the foods they eat through hands-on experiences. According to Christine White De Ciro, Cypress Park Garden Club sponsor, the Garden Club has three main objectives:
- construct a watering system in the garden so that is survives the summer, and students can spend more time collaborating with students in manufacturing and engineering classes;
- add more seating so that classes can use the garden; and
- add additional gardening beds to expand the garden as a whole.
“The grant is really going to give us the opportunity to do some major improvements to the garden without having to fundraise,” White De Ciro said. “Fundraising is really hard for a variety of reasons, so this is a really great opportunity to use this money to make a big impact in the garden.”
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The Whole Kids Garden Grant has funded more than 7,500 edible gardens from schools and non-profit organizations in a multitude of states. The grant application opens on Feb. 1 and closes March 1 for applicants in the United States or Canada. Winning candidates are notified by Aug. 1 and entrusted to utilize the funds for the expansion, beautification and nurturing of the intended gardens.
In order to be eligible for the grant, a school or organization must be a charter or public school, engage at least 10 students on a regular basis and be growing edible plants in the garden.
“I love that the Garden Club is very open to everybody,” said senior Vivianna Teran, Garden Club co-president. “Even those who are unsure of what Garden Club consists of, they end up having a good time and enjoying the process of working with others on a project and seeing their hard work pay off.”
Source: CFISD
