San Tan Charter School Adolescent Montessori students Adam Edam and David Kohler watch as Principal Katie Cox receives the check for the grant money at a Sprouts Farmers Market in Mesa.

San Tan Charter School Principal Katie Cox, along with San Tan Charter School Adolescent Montessori students David Kohler and Adam Edam attended the presentation of the grant money on Saturday, September 7 at a Sprouts Farmers Market in Mesa.

The staff at San Tan Charter School in Gilbert is pleased to announce that the school was recently awarded a $9,500 grant from the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation.

As Montessori Adolescent Teacher Megan Hubbard noted, the grant money will be used to make a number of improvements to the school’s two garden areas, which currently include five in-ground garden beds and 15 large, raised beds, as well as space for the school’s goats and chickens.

“We will use the grant money to set up all of our beds with soil and an irrigation system. We will also set up a rainwater collection and a graywater washing station, as well as a new composting system to use in each classroom,” Hubbard said, adding that all of the Montessori students at San Tan Charter school, from kindergarteners through eighth graders, have access to the garden.

The students grow a variety of plants in the garden, Hubbard said, including flowers, root vegetables and vines. 

“The students in the adolescent class are the garden caretakers, and they give lessons to the younger kids on things like garden care and how to grow plants,” Hubbard said.

In addition to the improvements to the infrastructure of the outdoor spaces, San Tan Charter School Principal Katie Cox said the grant money will be used to enhance the students’ experiences in the garden.  

“Funds will go toward purchasing durable outdoor seating, allowing students to collaborate and engage in garden-based lessons comfortably,” Cox said.

“We will also invest in gardening tools such as shovels, rakes, gloves, and wheelbarrows to ensure that students can participate fully in maintaining the garden. Additionally, we will set up worm composting units and integrate composting into daily lessons with classroom buckets, teaching students about sustainability and waste reduction.”

The grant money will also be used to purchase seedlings, saplings, and garden-related curriculum books, and provide students with cooking demonstrations to reinforce lessons on nutrition and food preparation. 

“This comprehensive approach ensures that our students not only learn the science of gardening but also the importance of sustainable living and healthy eating,” Cox said.

Learning that San Tan Charter School was selected as a recipient for the grant money was an exciting moment for Hubbard and her students.

“We were so excited! The students knew how long I had worked on the grant, and they were cheering when Ms. Cox made the announcement,” Hubbard said.

“To have the privilege to make bigger and more permanent changes to the garden is huge, and it will have a positive effect on students for years to come. I am thrilled to be able to help guide our students in this new garden adventure.”

Spending time in the school’s garden is a highlight of the day for many students at San Tan Charter School. 

As Hubbard has observed, getting the chance to be outside in nature during the school day can help students to regulate themselves when they need a break, and they all enjoy watching as plants thrive under their care.

“I like the process of seeing all of the plants grow, and get bigger and turn into things that we can sell,” said eighth grader Rhys Henning-Head.

“I like to grow peas, and the flowers were really cool to take care of, kale was good, and the pumpkin vine,” Rhys added.

Eighth grader Mackenzie Heckart agrees that pumpkins are especially rewarding to plant.

“I really like growing pumpkins because they grow really, really fast, and I like the freedom to do stuff in the garden and hang out with our animals. I enjoy the quietness and the smell of all the plants,” Mackenzie said.

“My favorite thing to grow is the peas, because they got big and we got to harvest them ourselves,” said seventh grader Ashlyn Robinson, adding that she also enjoys hanging out with the chickens and goats. 

“I'm so proud of Mrs. Hubbard and her students and their work around the Outdoor Environment,” Cox said.

“They take care of it for all the students in the Montessori program here at San Tan. It felt great to know they were getting the recognition and award that is so well deserved.”

About San Tan Charter School:
San Tan Charter School is a Kinder-12th grade public non-profit tuition free charter school with two campuses in the East Valley within minutes of each other. The Power campus is a Junior High/High School serving students in grades 7-12 and the Recker campus is an elementary school serving students K-8 including a private Montessori preschool and K-8 tuition free Montessori classrooms. The school uses a Love and Logic® approach to classroom management that is focused on building relationships and communicating with respect. The school focuses on “Education with a Purpose,” which means the teachers encourage their students’ love of learning, which enables them to face challenges and develop critical thinking skills. San Tan Charter School also offers a championship athletics experience 5th through 12th grade and PE daily K-6. San Tan Charter School is focused on maximizing each student’s intellectual development with a Gifted program K-12, Honors/AP classes, Concurrent/Dual Enrollment classes and elective choices including career and technical education (CTE)-Culinary and Aviation as well as the opportunity for Juniors and Seniors to attend EVIT half day. For more information, please visit https://santancharterschool.com/