Outdoor Program and Environmental Stewardship
“When children come into contact with nature, they reveal their strength.” - Maria Montessori
The Portland Montessori School is wholeheartedly committed to green practices and sustainability and we continue to put numerous measures into place to reflect this.
We are fortunate to have four educational gardens on our campus; our Learning Garden, our “Raindrops to River” Rain Garden, the Native Pollinator Habitat, and our “From Seed to Snack” farm-to-table permaculture garden, all of which are at the core of our outdoor curriculum.
In all of our outdoor endeavors we directly collaborate with members and organizations of our local community to positively impact our students, neighborhood and environment, thus further establishing our mission as a committed green Montessori school in Portland. We hold a Gold level certification in the Backyard Habitat program due to our continuous strides in moving towards a greener campus.
“Raindrops to River” Rain Garden
In March of 2017, we were awarded the Community Watershed Stewardship (CWSP) grant by the City of Portland’s Environmental Services. We designed and installed a rain garden on our campus as a teaching tool and as an effort of water management and conservation. Our rain garden is accompanied by a beautiful mural which was painted by an Iraqi refugee artist, Akram Sarraj, alongside youth members of IRCO (Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization).
We are pleased to have collaborated with a number of local organizations to make this a community-driven project.
Native Pollinator Habitat
Following the planting of native flora in our rain garden, we were keen to create more habitat on our urban campus. Our Native Pollinator Habitat houses at least 20 varieties of native plants and teaches our students the importance of attracting beneficial pollinators. Students are encouraged to interact with the space as as a place of learning, stillness and being connected to nature.
“From Seed to Snack” Garden
We put our energy and hearts into a mission that is very important to us: teaching our students through hands-on measures how food is grown and- as a result- offering fresh produce as a daily snack option. We have named this small-scale farm to table model “From Seed to Snack” and we are proud to be adopting a local stance on food accessibility and seasonality. Informed by permaculture principles, the site features an edible pathway, a keyhole vegetable garden and a food forest with fruit trees. Planting will commence in February 2019. The design includes plans for a greenhouse for year-round planting and outdoor teaching.
Community Connections, Events, and Fundraisers
Community involvement is a primary focus of ours here at TPMS and we host regular work parties and fundraisers to connect our community with our garden program. Work parties happen on weekend days and are a great way for children and parents to be hands-on involved in the building and upkeep of our four educational gardens. We host four annual fundraisers that directly benefit our Outdoor Program; our holiday craft sale, our Mother’s Day fundraiser, our annual all-school auction and our Elementary Fundraiser Feast. Feast fundraisers typically take place in June with our elementary students creating and cooking up recipes. Our students crafted an accompanying cookbook named “From Dirt to Delicious”, which was inspired by Alice Waters’ Edible Schoolyard initiative. The following year, our own “From Seed to Snack” garden was the source of inspiration for our illustrated narrative detailing the importance of the farm-to-table model and knowing where your food comes from.
“The land is where our roots are. The children must be taught to feel and live in harmony with the Earth.” - Maria Montessori
Partners
We are proud and honored to work closely with a number of Portland organizations and individuals to establish and expand our outdoor program. Below are our past and present sponsors and donors; we thank them for all their contributions.
