The Edible Schoolyard

COMMUNITY

The Edible Schoolyard program thrives because of a vibrant and dedicated community. Teachers, students, chefs, gardeners, farmers, donors, volunteers, neighbors, and parents are all part of the diverse network involved in our success – they are reflective of the same Principles of Ecology that help guide our work.

Community is a fundamental value of The Edible Schoolyard. As a process emerging from mutual interest, community encompasses the involvement of everyone at King Middle School as well as those from outside the school. Participation is encouraged by the sensitive decision making of distributed leadership.

Different aspects of the process of community are manifest in the functioning of the program:

New relationships develop between teachers and students working outside the classroom;
Students encounter adults other than teachers – garden staff, mentors, volunteers – with whom they often recognize affinities of interest or personality;
Program teachers acquire a common experience of place and process, and of cooperation in the achievement of common goals;
All members of the school may contribute to and benefit from the success of the project;
The contribution of outside expertise links the school more closely with the society in which it functions, as do the amenities and products of the garden and kitchen;
Most importantly, the notions of mutual dependence and of appropriate production and consumption may be translated from the program to the world-at-large.