New Glarus School District

Small Schools, Big Opportunities

Our mission is to create an outdoor classroom space in the form of a garden. Gardens offer beautiful settings in which to integrate every discipline, including science, math, reading, environmental studies, nutrition and art.  Such interdisciplinary approaches cultivate the talents and skills of all students while enriching the students’ capacities of observation and thinking.

Guiding Principles:

*Our school garden offers opportunities for our students to discover fresh food, make healthy food choices, and become better nourished.

*Students can experience deeper understanding of natural systems and become better stewards of the earth by designing, cultivating, and harvesting gardens with their own hands. 

*The garden will foster student connections to our community.  Donations of produce to the local food pantry will foster student connections to the community and will introduce students to their role in making a difference in the world.

The New Glarus School Garden Committee consists of master gardeners, parents, teachers and volunteers who lend their time, talent and energy to our school garden. The committee meets once a month and during the growing season there is a weekly garden workday.  The garden is funded in part by the PTO as well as through grants and private donations. 

New Glarus students have a unique opportunity to discover fresh food and learn about nutrition and sustainability practices. Every student in the elementary school has the opportunity to participate in an annual planting day. 

The committee members guide students in planting the school garden.  On that day the master gardeners give presentations on soil and plant science while students do the planting. When school is in session, produce from the school garden is served in our cafeterias.  During the summer months, the fresh produce is shared with a local daycare and food pantry.