Mukilteo Elementary

October 10, 2020

Autumn Newsletter

Autumn 2020 (Read in Google Docs)

Dear Mukilteo Elementary community,

The garden has completed its transformation from an idea into a space that has blossomed beyond our initial hopes. Plentiful harvests of greens are going to food banks and to families who pick up lunches at school. Thank you to LeAnn, Mary, and Tudit for all of your help with delivering produce to ME families. Many community members have been stepping forward to help water, weed, and help out in various ways with all that is happening in the garden. Mukilteo Elementary now boasts a lovely row of sunflowers, eight raised beds, a compost pile, four planters, and a bountiful first fall crop. Let’s reflect a little on how we got here.

On August 1, Cooper Miller (ME alumnus) and fellow boy scouts constructed the eight raised garden beds for Phase 1 of the garden. Cooper’s Eagle Project is a momentous improvement to the campus and the community. By mid-August, the soil was in place and it was past time to plant a fall crop! With the help of the community, lettuce, spinach, bok choy, snap peas, kale, and more are all now growing abundantly. We can thank Carolyn Henri for being a tireless champion.

of the garden, diligently working to make the garden thrive, for connecting families to the produce, and for bringing the garden to the students through her series “ME Garden Mysteries.” Additionally, with an improved social media presence and educational videos, thanks to Maya Green (another ME alumnus), more people are able to experience the garden and get involved. Community involvement is what will make this garden successful.

While we do not know when, exactly, we will be returning to school, we are excited for the days when students and staff can do so safely. Once again, we can plant seeds in late Spring in the germination stations made possible by the hard work of Elizabeth Crocco (another ME Alumnus). This past spring, Elizabeth co-wrote a successful grant as part of her Girl Scout Gold Award Project. With these funds, she created plans and purchased the materials necessary to create two large light shelves for growing our vegetable starts, equipped with heating pads! Students in 5th grade Voice Groups and in other grade levels began exciting work in Spring 2020. They learned from community leaders like Ann Ramos (of the Mukilteo Community Garden) about seed germination, in their groups about vermiculture, and made plans.

to connect our work Washington Green Schools with that in the garden. We eagerly anticipate the day when we can safely return

to school and continue those projects.

Looking forward to our work continuing even after the fall crop. Soon, a shed will be installed and will be in need of decoration. There are four large cement planters needing a lending hand with a green thumb. We thank the Watch Dogs for offering their help with future garden projects and we look forward to creating ways for more community members to participate.

Thank you to Annie Miga who is contributing to our website and has shared the news about the garden in the Falcon Spirit - our school newsletter. Thanks also to Heather Edwards for reading books for students out in the garden on sunny days!

And always, we remain thankful to our generous community partners for helping the garden get started with critical infrastructure and equipment: Pushkar Renjen, State Farm Insurance, supplied our entire irrigation budget for Phase 1; Kemp West via ChipDrop donated many cubic yards of wood chips, Snohomish County Master Gardeners and ME PTSA supplied grants, Snohomish County Master Gardener Veggie Group donated seeds for our initial garden starts, Steubers Distributing donated starter pots, and Dunn Lumber for their help with Cooper’s Eagle Scout Project.

Thank you all community members, big and small, that chip in and help spread the word and excitement about our new garden!

We’re just getting started!

Sincerely,

Your School Garden Team

Elizabeth Crocco Gold Award Project Cooper Miller Eagle Project