Henderson Partners with Developer, Nonprofit and Community to Build an Outdoor Garden Classroom
Henderson, Nev. – The City of Henderson is partnering with the LandWell Company, Green Our Planet and area residents to build an outdoor garden classroom at Edna F. Hinman Elementary School to give students a hands-on education about healthy foods and real-world earth science lessons.
The addition of the garden will provide students from the historic Pittman neighborhood with access to fresh produce as well as offer new learning opportunities surrounding healthy food that is locally grown. The outdoor garden classroom teaches students all aspects of gardening, from planting to tending to harvesting. Students will learn about ecology, water and life cycles, gardening tricks to help crops perform to their full potential and business plan creation for crops harvested.
The Hinman Elementary School outdoor garden classroom is one of the food and health strategies identified in the City of Henderson’s Pittman Neighborhood Revitalization Plan. The Pittman neighborhood revitalization effort is part of the “Invest Health” initiative, a national program designed to improve cities through better health.
“Last December, we hosted neighborhood meetings in Pittman and we heard that residents’ want continued health and safety initiatives in their community,” said Stephanie Garica-Vause, City of Henderson’s Director of Community Development and Services. “The creation of the Hinman garden classroom is the first tangible result of the planning work and community collaboration taking place to better address those and other important issues in Pittman. I am thrilled to be part of the team creating positive change and improving access to healthy food for local kids.”
Parents, teachers, students and any member of the community who would like to volunteer are encouraged to come out to Hinman Elementary School on Sept. 16 at 9 a.m. Volunteers should wear work clothes, closed toe shoes, sun protection and bring plenty of water. Work gloves and tools will be provided. The project will be building brick beds, planting trees and spreading soil and gravel. Interested volunteers can contact Sarah Russell at 703-927-9205 or via email at: sarahr@greenourplanet.org.
This effort is a product of the Long Range Planning Division of the Community Development and Services Department at the City of Henderson. The Community Development and Services Department partners with the community to plan and promote a vibrant, safe, balanced, cohesive city for today and tomorrow. For more information about sustainability in Henderson, visit cityofhenderson.com/planning.
