In case you missed it, Wilshire Crest Elementary School was mentioned in yesterday’s edition of LAist’s Morning Brief newsletter, as part of a larger piece about the schoolyard greening movement. In the article, Morning Brief Associate Editor Aaricka Washington recalled her own elementary school days playing on the hot, dry asphalt at Wilshire Crest.
We immediately forwarded the email to Buzz co-publisher Liz Fuller, who has been actively involved in the Wilshire Crest PTA for more than a decade and is just finishing up two years as PTA president. We suggested she reach out to Washington and let her know that things have changed a lot since Washington was a student at the school. So Liz told Washington about the school garden that she and another parent helped found at Wilshire Crest in 2008, replacing more than 11,000 square feet of asphalt with instructional green space that’s still thriving 14 years later, thanks to the ongoing efforts of the school, parents, volunteers, community supporters and the non-profit Garden School Foundation, along with funding from several other local non-profit organizations.
Washington said Fuller’s news about the garden “made my day,” and after they exchanged a few more e-mails, Washington published an update today in the Morning Brief. Along with sharing a few photos from a recent work day at the garden, she quoted Fuller, who said:
“The Wilshire Crest garden – started by school parents and volunteers in 2008 – has garden boxes for each grade level, as well as a grape arbor, fruit trees, and a variety of edible crops such as artichokes, fava beans, strawberries, squash, watermelon, pumpkins, peppers, sour sorrell, mint, basil, and many more. The school offers a program from the non-profit Garden School Foundation, taught during regular school hours, that provides instruction in science, gardening, and nutrition to all students at the PreK-5 school.”
Washington ended her update by saying, “Now, isn’t that amazing? I think I want to go back to visit!” (And, yes, she’s already been invited to do so.)
