At Urban Community School, located in the heart of Cleveland’s near west side, two-thirds of the student body qualify for free meals in the Federal Food and Nutrition Service Program (FNS). Another ten percent qualify for reduced-cost meals, making approximately 76 percent of the student body eligible for free/reduced breakfast and lunch. UCS has spent more than four decades serving the students and families in our neighborhood, providing 500 primarily multilingual, under resourced students with an individualized, innovative, and challenging education. More than six years ago, UCS created the Healthy Lifestyles Coordinator role within the school, partnered with the Greater Cleveland Foodbank, and hosted many events to share information and celebrate wellness. This year, UCS opened the Edible Schoolyard Learning Garden, which serves as a tangible example of UCS’s ongoing commitment to the health, wellness, and nutrition of UCS’ children and families.In this session, learn about the strategic process and partnership with the local non-profits – the Cleveland Botanical Gardens (CBG) and The Refugee Response (TRR) -- that transformed vacant land into a vibrant and welcoming outdoor classroom, inviting students young and old to explore, harvest, learn and taste together. Hear how this garden, originally envisioned by middle school students as part of a math lesson on scale drawing, became an integral part of UCS’s 21st Century curriculum and how strategic partnerships ensure the sustainability of innovative programming and the maintenance of the learning garden.
