Students at Kent-Meridian High School now have a new way to learn about growing food — and a space designed to include everyone.Kent-Meridian High School, in pa
Students at Kent-Meridian High School now have a new way to learn about growing food — and a space designed to include everyone.
Kent-Meridian High School, in partnership with Home Depot, revitalized a previous on-campus garden area with a newly constructed sensory garden, according to an announcement Monday.
Mayor Dana Ralph, Kent-Meridian High School students and staff, and volunteers from Home Depot gathered to dedicate the new space and help with construction.
The sensory garden includes eight raised garden beds and integrated seating intended to help students with mobility challenges and special education needs access the agricultural area.
An image of city officials, Kent-Meridian High School students and staff, and volunteers from Home Depot gathering to dedicate the new space and assist with its construction. (Kent School District)The former garden plots needed repair, and the project grew into the sensory garden through the efforts of Barbara Arnett, a speech-language pathologist at Kent-Meridian High School, and Home Depot.
Home Depot contributed a $10,000 donation for materials and provided volunteers through “Team Depot” to help build the garden.
The garden is expected to support hands-on learning for students, with each bed used to teach how to plant, cultivate, and harvest a variety of produce.
The accessibility features are designed to allow inclusive education classes to participate in the agricultural process.
“Giving our students inclusive education the chance to engage in hands-on learning outdoors is really special,” Arnett said. “When you can get out of the classroom, it’s always fun. We do units on the life cycle of plants, and the students help with weeding and planting.”
Student-harvested crops will be donated to the Kent-Meridian Food Bank and the Kent Community Food Bank, according to the announcement.
The garden also includes a plaque honoring Irene Terrado-Paradeza, a Home Depot employee described as influential in realizing the project, who recently died.
Kent School District educates more than 25,000 students across 44 schools and academies, serving roughly 72 square miles that include Auburn, Black Diamond, Covington, Kent, Maple Valley, Renton, SeaTac, and parts of unincorporated King County.
The district says more than 130 languages are spoken by its students and families, and its mission is to successfully prepare all students for their futures.
