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WE Garden (Westminster Elementary Garden) is converting its asphalt schoolyard into a state-of-the-art learning laboratory, organic garden.
Our school boasts two organic gardens, one with an an outdoor classroom, which is fully integrated into in-class science, language and math curricula. All students plant, tend, harvest, cook and joyously eat the fruits (and vegetables) of their labor. The garden enriches the students' understanding of ecology, biology, nutrition and a love of the natural world.
Master Gardeners Nora Dvosin, Nancy Giffin, Cande Friedman, and Bella McGowan, along with WE Garden Volunteers Deidre Samuels, Pamela Koslow, Regina Pereira, and Verity Fenner, students, parents, teachers and community volunteers, are re-imagining the school campus with support from Principal Barry Cohen. Our Master Plan (drawn by Venice architect, Lewin Wertheimer) includes a reading garden, an urban forest of native California trees and shrubs, a Native American garden, and a new 1,000 sq ft garden for our Kindergarten students. We hold community garden workdays once every month on the weekends, (always well-attended by parents, teachers and volunteers...as well as our students) we're hard at work converting unused space into a very special garden and orchard.
WE Garden has become a healthy, beautiful, environmentally sustainable resource for our students.
WE Garden and the entire Westminster community would like to thank the following donors for their support, as well as the many private donors who have helped our garden grow!
| Los Angeles Department of Public Works, Office of Community Beautification | Abbott Kinney Merchants Association |
|---|---|
| The Rose Cafe | Abbott Kinney Festival Association |
| Abbott's Habit | Abbott's Pizza |
| Councilman Bill Rosendahl | Lewin Wertheimer Architect |
| School Board Member, Marlene Canter | Los Angeles Conservation Corps |
| WholeFoods | School Board Member, Steve Zimmer |
| TreePeople | Los Angeles Marathon Roadrunners |
| Venice Neighborhood Council | The California Fertilizer Foundation |
| Backyard Productions | Venice Chamber of Commerce |
| Kellogg Garden Products | Venice Art Walk |
| Environmental Media Association | Venice Garden & Home Tour |
