Opportunities to be involved in the Gardens:
Flex-Time on Mondays 10:10-10:55am
BE A MEMBER OF THE OCEANA GARDEN CLUB. The club handles the “business” of the garden. Making design decisions, raising funds and deciding what to spend the money on, partnering with other groups inside and outside the Oceana community. In addition to attending Monday meetings (when not having an academic flex-time appointment), club members are expected to contribute to garden efforts at other times during the year, such as by helping with a fundraiser, representing the club at a fair or other meeting, and helping during other work times. Mondays start with a meeting in room 203, and then if there is time after handling club business we fit in some garden work time. Club members occasionally are able to participate in special activities, such as field trip to the Pie Ranch. Club business is handled through a Google Classroom, join code mnpejn4
Flex-Time on Tuesdays 10:10-10:55am
OPEN WORK TIME FOR ANY INTERESTED STUDENT. Maintaining and expanding a school garden certainly involves weeding, planting, caring for plants, harvesting, etc. but it also includes building and repairing garden beds, tool care, plant research, composting… Past students have also begun efforts to prepare for returning chickens to campus, and created some aquaponic gardens that use fish to help grow plants. Students interested in helping existing projects or with ideas for new projects are welcome to come, as long as they show effort and commitment to contributing to the evolution of the Oceana garden and the well-being of other students and people invested in the garden. Since this time is during school hours it does not count towards the Oceana community service graduation requirement.
Thursdays after school 3:15-4:15pm
COMMUNITY SERVICE! The activities are similar to those during the Open Work Time during Tuesday Flex-Time, but since this happens outside of school hours it does count towards the Oceana community service graduation requirement (as long as students turn in the forms on time). Occasionally, community service times are also arranged for a Saturday morning or other day. Listen for announcements and look for flyers with details when one is arranged.
Fridays 10:10-10:55am
GARDEN ADVISORY. At the end of 10th grade, students have the opportunity to ask to be assigned to the “garden advisory” for their 11th and 12th grade years. While students will still receive much of the important school-wide programming that occurs during advisory, students in the gardening advisory build community through working in the garden and connecting around a common interest in causes and hobbies relating to growing food, cultivating life, and caring for the environment. The garden advisory students also have the opportunity to attend a Pie Ranch field trip at least once a year.
During a period TBD in 12th grade
SCIENCE/GARDEN TEACHING ASSISTANT. Students who (at the end of 11th grade) register for a period as a teaching assistant during their senior year may have the opportunity to apply to be a teaching assistant for one of the science teachers advising the garden (currently Ryan Reidy and Peter Menard).
During a period TBD in 11th or 12th grade
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE CLASS. Students who register for this class with Ryan Reidy will find work in the garden playing an important role in their exploration of how humans interact with our environment, using the garden to conduct observations, investigations, and experiments.
FOOD AND NUTRITION. Students who register for this class with Laurie Hughes will sometimes be using food harvested from our school garden.
