Planting Seeds to Create Change - Growing a Healthy Future

 

In the fall of 2009, the Toyon Student Council, Outdoor Projects Class, Leadership Class, Earth Club and Landscape/Gardening Class, in collaboration with the Toyon PTO initiated the Toyon Middle School Beautification and Gardening Project.  It is a student, parent, staff and community driven program that has established three goals.

 

Program Goals

• Develop healthy eating and physical activity habits at an early age.

• Create a welcoming and beautifully landscaped campus for our students, staff, families and all others that use these facilities. (Soccer, Football etc.)

• Establish a year round organic garden that provides fruit and vegetables for use at our school and to donate to local food banks.

 

Student Goals

This program designed to give our students the opportunity to get involved in hands on, project based activities that will give them valuable life and job skills.  They will be able to work on projects that will directly benefit students, staff, parents, and community members.  Students will initiate and be involved in all aspects of the program.  They will generate ideas, plant gardens, move dirt, design and maintain landscapes, build structures, research native plants and ecosystems, create and update websites, fundraise, do public relations/community outreach, prepare and market food and learn the many benefits of eating healthy food and working hard.

 

Projects/Programs Completed and/or In Progress

• Students run a school wide recycling program

• Students have built 11 raised garden beds and maintain a year-round garden.

• Over 2200 lbs of produce was harvested last year alone.  Produce was used in nutrition and cooking classes, served to students and taken home by students to their families.

• Students constructed a greenhouse and maintain it.

• Students have landscaped the following areas:

The quad         The office.       New classrooms          Between MPR and office

Art room         Parking lot       Slope by gym              Greenhouse                      

• Students assembled 16 new picnic tables.

• Students assembled a Tool Shed and maintain tools.

• Students have designed areas for future landscaping.

• Students have repaired and installed irrigation systems.

• Students have painted benches, railings and tables.

• Students painted the mural on the food service structure.

 

Student Ideas For Future Projects

Paint benches                          Shade trees for sports fields               Plant trees in Quad

Arbors                                     Paint Railings                                      Flower beds      

Landscape front of School     Water Fountain by Home-Ec              Pumpkin Patch

Outdoor study areas               School Wide Compost Program         School signs

Native plants garden               Groundcover on hills by courts           Rock Water Feature

Cultural Garden                      Shade covering for bleachers              Solar panels    

 

Current Sponsors and Partners

TMS Parent Club                    Lowes Charitable Foundation             Starbucks

The TORO Company              Western Growers Foundation             MarVal

The Resource Connection       Cal Fertilizer Foundation                    FoCuS

Sierra Business Council          CUSD Education Foundation               Tri-Dam 4H

Junior Interact                       CUSD School Board                          LifeLAB

Rising Sun Nursery                 UC Cooperative Extension                 Outer Aisle Foods

Calaveras High School            Valley Springs Elementary                 CalTrans

Jackson Lowes                        Valley Springs Home Center              Project EAT                                                   

 

How You Can Help

We have received many generous material and cash donations to get these initial projects underway.  Yet, to keep this program alive and thriving we will need your continued support. There are several ways in which you could help.

           

• You can make a cash donation.  Checks can be made out to Toyon Middle School Parent Club.  Any size donation would be a huge help.  You can drop them by the Toyon Office, put them in the donation box on Saturdays, or mail them to the school.

Toyon Middle School

C/O TMS Parent Club Beautification/Garden Project

3412 Double Springs Road

Valley Springs, CA 95252

 

• You can donate any of the following equipment/ materials:

Shovels                        Rakes                                               Safety Glasses

Work Gloves                 Planting Soil                                      Wheelbarrow

Cinderblocks               Landscape rock (all sizes)                     Wood Chips

Compost                      Soil Amendments                               PVC pipe/parts

Drip Tubing                 Garden Gloves                                    1” chicken wire

Seed Packets               Hand Trowels                                     Lumber

 

Please contact us with a list of the materials you have available and we will see what we need at that time.  Thank You. 

 

• You can sign up to volunteer your time and skills on a project day or help one of our classes implement a landscape or garden project.   This is a great way for parents and landscape or construction businesses to participate.  Please contact Kevin at the following e-mail address: kevhesser@gmail.com

• You can share your ideas on projects you would like to see around campus.

• Sign up on our e-mail list to get updates about project dates and/or needs.

 

These projects will benefit many members of our community.  Our students, youth sports leagues and all others that use the campus for events will benefit from this program.  We appreciate any and all contributions that you can make. We sincerely thank you for your support.