🌱 Welcome to the Garden, Ortega!

We’re excited to bring The HEAL Project’s school garden program to Ortega Elementary for the first time this year!

This school year, Ortega’s TK–2nd grade students will participate in hands-on garden classes with The HEAL Project, using the school garden as a living classroom where students can explore science, food, and the natural world.

Garden classes kicked off this week, and we’re excited for a year of growing, exploring, and learning together!

Growing Healthy Kids from the Ground Up

The HEAL Project’s mission is to teach kids where their food comes from and why it matters. Through hands-on learning in school gardens and at The HEAL Project Farm, we help students build connections between healthy food, healthy bodies, and a healthy environment.

During garden classes, Ortega students will have opportunities to dig in the soil, investigate plants and insects, taste fresh fruits and vegetables, and explore science concepts through real-world experiences.

Most importantly, we want the garden to be a place where students can get curious, try new things, and develop a lasting connection to food and the natural world.

🌻 Meet Ortega’s Garden Educator: Lauren Herkewitz!

We’re delighted to introduce Lauren Herkewitz, Ortega’s HEAL Garden Educator and a familiar face in the Ortega community! Lauren is also an Ortega parent with two daughters attending the school, making this new role especially close to home.

Lauren has enjoyed all things gardening since she was a child. Now that she has children of her own, she has equally enjoyed sharing her love of gardening with younger generations.

Lauren believes it’s important for children to understand how our food grows and the effort it takes to grow it, while also enjoying the process and spending time outdoors. She’s excited to share her love of gardening with Ortega students and help make the garden a welcoming place for discovery, connection, and hands-on learning.

In her free time, Lauren enjoys caring for her own garden and chickens, volunteering in the classroom, reading, knitting, and trail running.

Please say hello if you see Lauren around campus!

🌱 Join Us in the Garden!

We love having families be part of the garden experience! If you’re interested in volunteering during your student’s garden class, please reach out to your classroom teacher to learn about volunteer opportunities.

Parent and caregiver volunteers can be a wonderful extra set of hands as students explore, plant, harvest, taste, and learn in the garden. No gardening experience is necessary!

We’re thrilled to become part of the Ortega community and look forward to a wonderful first year of growing, tasting, exploring, and learning together!

See you in the garden!
The HEAL Project Team