Caption: TK students busy in the SAGE demo garden creating seed mandalas.
A few years back, SCG’s Science And Garden Emphasis (SAGE) program was just a seed waiting to germinate. As SCG got the green light to emphasize the integration of science and gardening into multiple classroom subjects, enhanced project based learning (PBL) around environmental literacy, community solutionary action and physical greenspace infrastructure truly took off. Some of SCG’s recent SAGE projects have included upper grades designing, budgeting and installing the SAGE demo garden irrigation system, tracking lunch food waste data, creating a Pollinator Peace Garden, and the grand opening of The Grove Mindfulness Garden!
However, despite all the thriving SAGE projects, teachers were pondering how to get the school community buzzing about our unique impactful program yearly, in order to inform newcomers as well as rejuvenate the SAGE spirit continually; thus, the idea for an annual fall SAGE Hype week was born! The goal of this week is to educate the SCG community from the ground up about what SAGE is and to get the excitement bubbling for the school year. So this past November, the first annual SAGE Hype week finally bloomed!
The first annual SAGE Hype Week 2023 included classes doing one more outdoor activity a day connected to SAGE, whether it was drawing SAGE murals, crafting seed packets, nature journaling, designing seed mandals, creating “Garden Bling” jewelry or scavenger hunting in the Pollinator Peace Garden.
Some first grade students were eager to share the SAGE activities they enjoyed:
"It was so peaceful making the flower bracelets in the garden. I like working in the garden because it saves the environment," shared Lavina Jimenez Camarena.
"I liked making the seed mandalas. It was fun but also challenging and sometimes when it's challenging you get smarter," Stevie Fockler.
SAGE Hype Week also included the ‘Design a SAGE Emblem’ contest, where students were invited to design an image that represents what SAGE is to them for the ‘23-’24 school year.
Caption: Third grader Audra Noland was our ‘23-’24 SAGE Emblem winner!
Teachers also reported feeling invigorated and inspired with the first SAGE Hype week and are already dreaming up new ideas for next year’s Hype Week, including SAGE-based daily speakers or performers. And if you’re wondering why SCG plans on doing it yearly instead of just once? Ms. Jade shed some light on that:
“It’s important to reinvigorate ourselves and our students even when we are already so dedicated to the vision of SAGE; this fresh energy we cultivate gets stronger in community, so when we focus intentionally on our SAGE mission and its values, it allows for a burst of creativity and excitement and ultimately a recommitment to a vision that we already cherish.” Plus, as first grader Jack Seeley mentions: "I liked the scavenger hunt because it was fun. It's important to have fun in nature." Jack Seeley
Caption: Students (and staff!) enjoy a rousing game of food waste sorting cornhole brought for the day by Christina Horvat, our county’s Zero Waste Outreach Coordinator.
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