OUR EDIBLE SCHOOL YARD PROJECT

Prepared for: Dean Ena Shelley, Dean of the Butler University College of Education
Prepared by: The Students of the Education Leadership Policy and Innovation Class with Dr. Catherine Pangan.

March 23, 2012

Project Proposal

Objectives For Our Work Together

Our intention is to turn the outdoor area to the north side of the IPS Butler Lab School into an “Edible School Yard” based on the designs created by the students in coordinating teacher Marissa Argus’ kindergarten and first grade class. Currently this area is an under-utilized grassy fenced in space. It is our hope to create a beautiful space suitable for outdoor exploration and provocation for all of the current and future students of the IPS Butler Lab School.

Goals For Our ED 403 Class Efforts

Using fundraising through a bake sale at Butler University, donations, advertising in the Butler and Indianapolis communities, in addition to other connections the students of ED 403 may have, we will generate funds to supply materials including but not limited to: gardening tools, gardening features, garden boxes, Plant Cam, Digital Blue Microscope, soil, seeds, library books, baking supplies, advertising materials, and thank you notes. The ED 403 class will also provide the “man power” to implement the collective garden design of Marissa Argus’ class.

Goals For IPS Butler Lab School

Currently plans are underway through the Butler Center for Urban Ecology’s Pulliam Grant to turn this space into and Urban Farm for the benefit of Shortridge Middle/High school and the IPS Butler Lab School. Our Edible School Yard Project will be in concert with this first round of provocations taking place in Marissa Argus’ kindergarten and first grade classroom and those throughout the school, before the implementation of Pulliam Grant work. These young students have already commenced inquiry on composting efforts as well as worm life cycles, and they are beginning to investigate pollination. This project will be a continuation of their current investigations and provide a framework for further exploration with current and future students.

Time Line

• Week of April 9-13th (Advertising)
• April 13th (Students Come to Butler Farm)
• April 14th, 15th (Saturday and Sunday Baking Weekend Extravaganza)
• April 16th, 17th, (potentially 21st) (Fundraising Events)
• April 27th (Planting at the Butler Lab School)

Fundraising Goal 

Our dream is to raise $5,000 to ensure the longevity and sustainability of this project for the Butler Lab School.

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