Smell the plants. Feel the plants. If a plant comes out of the dirt, put it back in. Welcome the bees and butterflies. Relax and feel the breeze.
So reads a sign at Philip J. Reilly Elementary School in Mission Viejo, where a new garden has taken root to enhance sensory experiences and support learning for students, particularly those enrolled in OCDE’s Connections program.
Created through a partnership between the Capistrano Unified School District and the Orange County Department of Education, the Reilly Connections Garden features a diverse array of plants including lemon verbena, thornless blackberry and Meyer lemon. A ribbon-cutting ceremony this week marked the garden’s official opening.
“Having outdoor environments where the kids can come out and explore and discover has been really positive for our students,” said Nathan Gipple, an OCDE project liaison for career technical education who oversaw the project’s design.
OCDE’s Connections program operates at 13 school sites throughout Orange County, serving students with the most significant disabilities. Offering a low student-to-staff ratio in structured classroom settings, Connections provides access to state standards with instruction that is customized to meet each student’s unique needs.
What’s particularly noteworthy about Reilly Elementary, which has earned a National Blue Ribbon and California Distinguished School honors, is that OCDE teamed up with Capistrano Unified to build the campus back in 1990. The garden similarly represents a collaboration between district and department staff to create hands-on learning opportunities for approximately 500 students.
“When they come out and they see real-life plants, they understand they can touch them, they can feel them, they can engage with the plants, and understand and see like the lifecycle of the plants,” Reilly Principal Sharla Pitzen said. “It just makes a difference and helps them to remember exactly what they were learning.”
“We’re able to help students learn through all of their senses, so they’re smelling it, they’re tasting it, they’re touching it,” said Stephanie Strietbeck, principal of Connections at Reilly. “They’re physically engaged in the actual activity of growing food, harvesting food, and then we work them through, well, what are we doing with the next step? Are we going to sell it, or are we going to make something?”
County Superintendent Dr. Stefan Bean joined Reilly students and staff on the blacktop on Wednesday, Oct. 23 for the garden’s official debut.
“To have a garden in which students can have hands-on experiences gives them a sense of purpose, that they matter to something that is living,” Bean said. “I think a garden is a great metaphor for our students, because as we … nurture them to grow to become productive citizens in our community, we want them to understand and learn that when they care for a garden, they are being active participants in caring and loving and nurturing our environment.”
Watch our video above, produced by OCDE’s Media Services team.