Create An Outdoor Garden Classroom

Hello! My name is Marci Nettles, and I am beginning my 28th year of teaching in public schools. I teach 6th Grade General Science and Environmental Science at Wood Middle School in the Alameda Unified School District. Wood Middle School is a Title 1 school.

As you can see from my tree-hugging profile photo, I LOVE OUR ENVIRONMENT!

Now more than ever, our kids need outdoor classroom spaces to help them engage with and understand their local environment and our changing planet. I love taking students outdoors for ecology observations and science investigations. Students thrive in outdoor settings where they can build resilience, appropriate risk-taking skills, and creative problem-solving skills. Being out in nature also helps students balance their emotional and mental health.

My school has ample garden space, and my students and I have been working hard to support the plants and other organisms that grow there. We have planted over two dozen native milkweed plants to help our monarch butterfly populations recover. We also grow kale, tomatoes, squash, green beans, and strawberries. PTA donations and I have funded much of our work over the last three years. (Over my years of teaching, I have donated thousands of dollars to my classroom and students, and I think that's pretty normal for most teachers. We want the best for our students.)

So what's the ask here? We want an outdoor classroom within our garden space! We want outdoor furniture that will last for years and remain sturdy and usable. We want to expand our nurturing of native plants to continue helping monarch butterflies and other pollinators that rely on our garden.

I know you might be thinking that we are asking for a lot, but consider that all of our 400 plus 6th, 7th and 8th-grade students will experience and benefit from this valuable resource. I plan to teach at Wood Middle School for another nine years, and this outdoor classroom will be an integral part of my science curriculum and program. I know that other members of our science department feel the same way. For roughly $35 per student, we can create a fantastic outdoor workspace.

Here is a detailed look at how we will spend funds:

Thank you for considering our proposal. I hope to post photos and updates of our progress with your help. THANK YOU!