Growing School Gardens Summit
In February, ESYNOLA Program Manager Zach O’Donnell presented at the 2026 Growing School Gardens Summit in Phoenix, Arizona. Zach partnered with colleague Michele Hockett Cooper from UT-Austin to deliver a session on best practices for collecting, evaluating, and showcasing garden program data.
The Growing School Gardens Summit is a national gathering to inform, inspire, and invigorate the school garden movement, hosted by the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation in partnership with Life Lab and the SGSO (School Garden Support Organization) Network. Over 550 educators and leaders came together at the summit to share innovations, methodologies, best practices and plan for the future of garden-based education across the nation.
Zach reported that being at the Summit left him with a deep appreciation for the many supporters and friends of ESYNOLA. The support we’ve received for the past 20 years has resulted in garden and kitchen classes that go so much deeper than most food education programs around the country.
Thank you, Zach and all ESYNOLA partners, for your dedication to our mission!
Expanding ESYNOLA Student Experiences
Remember the thrill of getting off campus as a student? Learning from someone who is not your “regular” teacher, and having expansive, multi-sensory experiences like touching live animals or seeing something made from start to finish?
This school year we have accelerated the number of experiences like this on FirstLine’s campuses by welcoming local growers and chefs to bring their expertise to our Edible Schoolyard garden and kitchen classes. Chef Greta of Greta’s Sushi visited both the Ashe and Green kitchens, rolling sushi with 8th graders and Kindergarteners alike. Students got to learn about the importance of keeping their hands wet and how to use a makisu (rolling mat). Ms. Theresa from “Crazy Plant Bae” propagated pothos with 3rd graders at Ashe- an indoor plant that will help them practice their gardening skills at home. Mr. Mike reconnected with young people at Phillis Wheatley Community school where he attended as a student, sowing microgreens and sharing about their concentrated nutrients. And Ms. Pam Broom, a New Orleans gardener from the time she was a young girl and Director of FARMacia New Orleans, expanded the meaning of “community” for LHA 4th graders when they heard about her garden and propagated some of their garden’s plants to share.
These cherished partners of Edible Schoolyard further enhance the experiences students have in garden and kitchen classes, and of course expand our mission of “making connections through food and the natural world”– connections in our own communities. Ashe 8th graders left interested in pursuing a job with Chef Greta. Ms. Pam left with plants for her garden, and Mr. Mike got to revisit his childhood school and sow seeds of the future there. Our schools are the community and the community is our classroom… together we have much to learn and share.
Special thanks to:
Mike and Angela from Know Dat Grow Dat
Chef Dee from Deelightful Roux
Dr. Nicole Ralston, from Eaten Path Nola, and author of “Toodie & Roodie: the Foodies”
Chefs Jessie and Dana from NOCCA
Tiffany Ospina and The Crescent City Farmers Market
Indian Springs Farmers Association
Kyre and Ellie of New Orleans Botanical Gardens
Kendall Rae Johnson from Grow Kulture
Ms. Linda, an LHA Grandparent and Mississippi Farmer
