School Community Garden Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for Franklin Elementary Fox Farm Wednesday

Children, families, volunteers, and local officials will celebrate the grand opening of a school community garden at Franklin Elementary School Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2016 at 8:45 a.m.

The garden was developed thanks to a grant from the Pasadena Community Gardens Conservancy to the Pasadena Educational Foundation (PEF) and the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD). Pasadena Mayor Terry Tornek, PUSD Superintendent Brian McDonald, Ed.D., and Pasadena Community Gardens Conservancy President Eileen White Read, Franklin Principal Merian Stewart, and Master Gardener, Jill MacArthur will be in attendance.

“This garden brings families, school staff, and the community together to cultivate a healthy environment forthe well-being of the children of Franklin Elementary,” said Superintendent McDonald. “It demonstrates our commitment to delivering coordinated resources and services that directly benefit children’s learning and success.”

This newest educational food community garden, which promotes healthy nutrition and physical activity, will serve as an outdoor classroom for Franklin students and enrich science learning. Franklin Elementary School teachers, trained in Farm-to-School curriculum, will lead students through lessons in seeds and germination, soils, insects, gardening, harvesting, and nutrition; classes will use the garden for teaching and learning.

“The Conservancy is honored to be partnering with the Pasadena Educational Foundation in support of PUSD’s blossoming school-garden educational program,” said Ms. Read.

The Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) serves pre-K to 12th grade students in a 76-square mile area that includes the communities of Altadena, Pasadena, Sierra Madre and unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County. Pasadena Unified School District provides a caring, engaging and challenging educational experience for over 18,000 students every day. www.pusd.us

Pasadena Educational Foundation (PEF) is a nonprofit organization that advocates for public education, engages the community, and develops resources to support excellent education for every Pasadena Unified School District student. Whether it be through the arts, music, health centers, gardens, or STEM programs they support, PEF is dedicated to creating a better future for the public school students of Altadena, Pasadena, and Sierra Madre. www.pased.org

Pasadena Community Gardens Conservancy (PCGC) is an all-volunteer nonprofit dedicated to improving family health in Northwest Pasadena’s urban “food desert” neighborhoods through grants for community gardens and nutrition education, volunteerism, and educational outreach. In our Public-Private Partnership with the City of Pasadena and L.A. County, PCGC is a proud founder and funder of the VillaParke Community Garden, Pasadena’s first public community garden in Northwest, to which PCGC has pledged support of $100,000. www.pasadenaconservancy.org