Center for Creative Education hosts Spring Garden Party to support Garden Classroom

Laura Rehnert, honorary chair of the Spring Garden Party teaching students. [Photo by Capehart]

The Susan and Dom Telesco Center for Creative Education hosts The Art of Giving: Spring Garden Party at 7 p.m. March 16 at Club Colette, with proceeds supporting the construction of a garden classroom at The Foundations School in West Palm Beach.

The fundraising event brings together civic leaders, educators and philanthropists to support the construction of an outdoor learning space designed to integrate hands-on agricultural education with core academic subjects at the K-5 independent school.

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The Garden Classroom, planned as a secure, walled outdoor area adjacent to the school's cafeteria rotunda, will serve as what organizers describe as a "living laboratory" where students can apply classroom concepts to real-world experiences. The space will feature hydroponic systems for science, technology, engineering and mathematics instruction, as well as opportunities for students to track plant growth and yields as part of mathematics and commerce lessons.

The Foundations School serves underserved students through a model that combines rigorous academics with family and community support. Tuition is subsidized through philanthropic contributions and state scholarships, making the educational program accessible to families who might not otherwise afford private school tuition.

"A learning garden is a high-impact investment in our students' future," says Robert L. Hamon, president and CEO of the Center for Creative Education. "It creates a hands-on classroom where children strengthen literacy, math and science skills while developing responsibility, confidence and a sense of ownership in their learning."

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The garden initiative is one of four core programs operated by CCE, which focuses on advancing academic success through experiential learning and early intervention strategies. The organization also conducts research intended to inform broader educational practices.

Laura Rehnert, honorary chair of the event and a CCE board member who owns an organic farm in the Northeast, emphasized the practical value of agricultural education. "The lessons learned by planting seeds and watching the plants grow and eventually end up on their plates is a life lesson they can carry with them throughout their lives," Rehnert says.

In addition to its educational applications, the garden will introduce students to concepts of nutrition, sustainability and the local agricultural economy. School officials said the space will also provide opportunities for students to share garden-to-table meals prepared from produce they have grown themselves.

Additional information about the event and the Center for Creative Education is available at cceflorida.org.