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School gardens and outdoor classrooms offer transformative experiences for students and educators, fostering academic growth, sustainability awareness, and community engagement.  In 2021, Coosa Elementary School, located on Lady’s Island, South Carolina, partnered with Clemson Extension to establish a dynamic school garden program. The school, serving a diverse population of 30% military families, enrolled thirty-nine faculty and staff members in Clemson Extension’s School Gardening for SC Educators online program. This research-based, five-week course provided educators with specialized horticultural training and resources, including The Garden STEM Curriculum (K-8), Seasonal Planting Guide & Calendar for South Carolina Schools and Community Gardens, and grade-level-specific materials. These tools enabled teachers to integrate garden-based learning into their classrooms, promoting interdisciplinary connections across science, math, language arts, and social studies. 

After completing the program, educators collaborated with 4-H Youth Development and Master Gardener volunteers to implement monthly Garden STEM lessons, where students participated in hands-on rotations in the garden. Coosa’s garden features seventeen raised beds, a small fruit orchard, and a Tower Garden™, which has become a hub for experiential learning and community outreach. Harvested crops are donated to local food banks, fostering social responsibility among students.  All grade levels within the school participate in planting, harvesting, and donating the crops.   

While the initial goal of the project was to support the school’s desire to create a school garden, an even broader impact was fostered through the partnership.  4-H Youth Development was offered to all grade levels through school enrichment.  Youth learn about agriculture and natural resources through chicken embryology, engineering design challenges, stormwater education, and more.  Coosa Elementary’s commitment to developing the whole child is reflected in its status as a Leader in Me school, where students are encouraged to make thoughtful decisions, work collaboratively, and care for their well-being. 

The initiative contributed to Coosa Elementary’s recognition as a National Blue Ribbon School and inspired similar garden-based partnerships across Beaufort County. The program exemplifies the impact of school gardens in cultivating curiosity, sustainability, and community engagement.