Featured Schoolyard: King Elementary

King Elementary, one of our first WCCUSD partners, exemplifies the remarkable evolution of our schoolyard greening work. What began in 2019 as a modest garden and shade tree project blossomed into a comprehensive partnership. Over the years, we've brought environmental education to all 415 King students, integrated garden lessons with classroom curricula, and even delivered fresh produce to families during the pandemic.

By 2023, King's flourishing program had simply outgrown its original 4,000 sq ft garden space. With support from both our CalFire grant and the school's budget, we were able to complete a major transformation of the space: doubling the outdoor learning area to an impressive 8,000 sq ft, expanding the fruit tree orchard, and installing new native perennial areas. We also planted playground shade trees and enhanced the school's bioswale, recruiting the help of 25 local high school students eager to leave their green thumbprint.

The result, unveiled for the 2024-25 school year, is a testament to the power of our collaborative approach: a transformed green schoolyard from which the seeds of environmental stewardship and hands-on learning will continue to grow for years to come.