A History of the Evolution of the SSES School Garden

Have you heard of the farm to table movement? At SSES, we have the concept to classroom to garden to table movement...

A number of years ago, St. Stephen's Episcopal School was the recipient of the Subaru Loves the Earth garden grant. With financial support and a materials donation from Subaru, students spanning all ages assisted with tilling the earth, building and preparing the raised beds, starting the seedlings, transplanting the native perennials, and harvesting and eating the goods.

At its height, the summer of 2017, the school garden was beautiful, colorful, and plentiful. Recently the garden received an update and some TLC from alumnus Sam Leppo as it was beginning to fall into the "icks." Sam space-planned and reimagined our school garden, infused additional elements like the cold frame and grow tower, all while receiving his Eagle Scout ranking. Sam and his crew got to work during the summer of 2020. The results were phenomenal!

This past school year, our kindergarten and third grade students jumped on the gardening wagon. Students on the orange floor, using the grow cart Sam built, started seedlings, then observed their growth. When the time came, they space-planned, then transplanted these seedlings to the refurbished raised beds along the side of the building. In the last month of school, and now during the summer, we watch these plants drink in the rain and reach for the sun. The third grade class celebrated their success by harvesting kale and herbs and partook in a celebratory salad during the final week of school!

We hope to continue to cultivate the love of sowing and growing in our students and build a plentiful school garden!