The School Garden ● Lawson Memorial Rose Garden ● I-Building Planter Boxes
Background: John Steinbeck was born in the Salinas Valley in Northern California. His stories have beautiful imagery about the Gabilan Mountains, the fields and the Pacific Ocean. A recurring theme of Steinbeck’s work is the notion that a man and his family can survive through perseverance and determination. The Joad family of “The Grapes of Wrath”, Lenny and George of “Of Mice and Men” and even Doc of “Cannery Row” all sought to cultivate and harvest the bounty of nature to survive. We have four plots of garden space in Senior Square for plants and vegetables. The vegetable garden currently has tomatoes and chilies, along with several types of herbs – basil, sage and thyme. We will plant seeds and seedlings for onions, lettuce, beans and watermelons in the large plot. The small plot with the purple tree has annuals. We will also plant herbs, lavender and hydrangeas. There are two rose gardens at Inglewood High. The roses planted alongside Building D are to commemorate the life of one of our English teachers, Roger Lawson. He worked at the high school for over 25 years. We will plant 5 more rose bushes for the memorial rose garden, then lay down mulch to protect the roses and discourage the weeds. The I-Building planter boxes need some attention and flowers to compliment what is already there. We want our gardens to produce vegetables that we can enjoy. Like Lennie and George’s dream home, we want to ‘live of the fatta the lan’. Please plan to take pictures of your students working! I have a digital camera if you need to borrow one. Activities: 1. Choose a day to bring your class to work in the school garden. We have enough gloves for all students to work. Remind them that the gardens have dirt, so wear closed toe shoes. 2. Prior to tending the garden, read some of the passages provided from Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men”. (pages 56 and 57 from the Penguin paperback) 3. You will receive a project and the materials to work with. Show your students the seeds that have germinated and the plants with root structures before you plant. 4. Invite your students to take pictures of the garden, or measure the height of the plants every week to see the progress and growth of the plants.