San Jose, CA, September 20, 2022 - Latimer School held a dedication ceremony this morning for their Latimer Garden & Outdoor Classroom. Attended by District administrators, Santa Clara Valley Water District Board Director, Nai Hsueh, Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County volunteer, Jan Carey, and Latimer staff, students, and families, Latimer Principal Hilary Gill and Assistant Principal Jenna Naylor revealed the dedication plaques to be installed in the garden in honor of former principal Nancy Cisler, former Assistant Principal Heather Scharer, and parent volunteer, Amy Cody.
“The Latimer Garden and Outdoor classroom was designed as a place for students and families to explore, learn, and develop their knowledge of nature and sustainability,” said Latimer Principal Hilary Gill. “Since the garden and outdoor classroom first opened in 2021, it has been a hub of activity at Latimer School…The cross-curricular tie-ins across the school are vast and include grafting, genetics, sustainability, watershed projects, as well as future solar projects.”
Latimer would like to thank the following organizations for funding, discounts, donated materials, school garden knowledge, and other support:
- Latimer Home & School Club
- Moreland School District
- Valley Water Mini-Grant Program
- Whole Kids Foundation
- Moreland Education Foundation
- Big Creek Lumber
- Kellogg Garden Products
- Summer Winds Nursery in Campbell
- Love Apple Farms
- California Native Plant Society
- Ian Geddes Tree Care
- Jan Carey from the Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County
- Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County
- Office of San Jose Vice Mayor Chappie Jones
- Oster Elementary School Garden
- Saratoga Elementary School Garden
- Life Lab
In addition, Latimer would like to recognize the following families who both helped with the creation of the garden and serve on the Green Team, coming out each weekend to make sure the garden is tended to so that it can be a space for all students to enjoy:
- The Cody Family
- The Wolfe Family
- The Sakaoka Family
- The Anderberg Family
- The Egorov Family
- Robert Crum
- Janine Daly
- Stephanie Ye
- Larry and Dawn Kraglund
- Maiko Tanaka
- Erin Hammer
- Praveen Shenoy
- Cindy and Baker Cleveland
- Sung Suh
- Blanca Gonzalez
- Flor Alcoba
- Helma Lee
- Maria Garcia Jimenez
- Maria Vega
- The Staff Garden Team