"The garden cultivates the gardener"
-Alan Chadwick
Bio Intensive Gardener
San Andreas has had a blooming organic garden for nearly 22 years. It started when a disenfranchised student confronted our History teacher, Jim Rice, about a job. Jim had been a licensed landscape artist and horticulture therapist prior to becoming a teacher at San Andreas. The student began working for Jim as a landscaper and later asked to start a garden at the school. However, all of the land from the coast to the bottom of Mt. Tamalpais is landfill and no one knows what sort of chemicals would be polluting the soil below. Accompanied by the student, Jim built garden beds and removed over four feet of dirt and refilled it with fresh organic soil.
In the past two decades our garden has flourished from a lush vegetable producer to a class that followed the state's curriculum. Jim decided that the students should learn about the garden at a deeper level, so he introduced the idea of starting an Agro-Ecology class, in recognition of UC Santa Cruz's similar program. Over the years he has received over $20,000 in grants for wood, tools, and other necessary supplies. The involvement of the students is one of the most important aspects to Jim. The students have built everything including the garden beds; a tool shed, repaired multiple picnic tables, and a modern cold frame. Thanks to our organic garden, the students enjoy fresh salads every week.

Photos By Chloe Flax