"To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow." - Audrey Hepburn

Teachers embody the idea behind this quote each day. They plant knowledge, virtue, and discipline into the next generation sitting in their classroom. Much like planting a seed and waiting for it to grow, teachers pour into their students not knowing when the lessons they've taught will take root and bear fruit.

The concept for the school flower garden came to us (Susie Abraham and I) as a way to bring beauty and encouragement to the teachers at our kids' school, while also teaching the next generation to cultivate beauty through growing flowers. Throughout our first year as an official school club, the students have planted seeds, helped water and mulch the plants, learned harvesting techniques and the basics of flower arrangement. During the hot months, these students arrived before school started in order to harvest flowers and then arranged them during their Study Hall. After putting the final touches on the bouquets, they set up a schedule each week and hand-delivered a bouquet to every teacher and staff on campus (even the men got excited to receive their flowers!).

Our first year as the Garden Society club is coming to an end, but we have big plans for future growth! We have expanded from two beds to four, with dreams of incorporating two more beds in the near future. A generous parent donated flagstone to our garden, and we're hoping to add it around our garden beds to combat the muddy clay. Everyday, hundreds of elementary kids walk around, through, and near our garden on their way to the playground, and we would love to build a decomposed granite path to connect the sidewalks and provide an aesthetically pleasing, yet practical solution to combat the muddy footprints tracked indoors. If you would like to make a tax deductible contribution to our endeavor please scan the QR code. We appreciate your generosity!

Please contact Susie Abraham with any questions. (sabraham@responsiveedtx.com)

The Garden Society