Gardeners of the Galaxy

Volume V

Written by: Mrs. Schell's and Mrs. Myers's

Ninth Period Classes

Preview audio:

storyj.mp/afsx3besp3im

Cover Art by: Mrs. Desiree Schell

Back Cover Art by: Divya Puthanveetil, Fourth Grader

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the written consent of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Printed in the United States of America

First Printing, 2016

The edition first published by www.storyjumper.com

StoryJumper, Inc. 850 E Greenwich Pl Plato Alto CA 94303

Foreword

This outdoor learning experience incorporated lessons from Language Arts, Reading, Science, and Health. To further this lesson for our students, this project also met the social and emotional needs of our truly gifted learners, which has led to the publishing of these stories. Our hope is that our students have bonded and formed lifelong friendships, in addition to gaining more of an appreciation for learners of all ages and nature itself.

Table of Contents

1. Meagan and Courtney...........p. 5

2. Vasant, Jackson and Garrett..p. 9

3. Benjamin, Ben and Josh.........p. 14

4. Lily, Abigail and Amaris..........p. 19

5. Brian, Colin and Brandon.......p. 23

6. Elisabeth, Charlie and Max.....p. 27

7. Julia, Shangri-La and Monica..p. 33

8. Kate, Ariana and Christine..p. 40

9. Cecelia and Sonia.................p. 46

10. Kaley and Alexandra...........p. 50

11. Tania, Gwen and Gracie......p. 56

12. Finnegan and Wahu............p. 60

13. Shon, Forest, Nirmal............p. 64

14. Acknowledgements.............p. 68

Meagan and Courtney

It was my first day in the garden. When I first saw my garden buddy, Courtney, I thought I had committed a crime. This was going to be torture! When we began to talk, I felt our lives begin to connect. She was nice and funny. My heart blossomed, I realized that this once torture had turned into a unique friendship. This was going to be fun!

I thought that being with my garden buddy, Meagan was a good experience to work with her in the outdoors. We learned about different exotic spices and sweet sugarcane in the garden. I knew we were going to be great friends.

During one of our long conversations, we discovered both of us have many fascinating dreams. Our time in the garden has taught us a lot about ourselves and each other. We both

hope to garden, while getting our hands a little dirty, and want to turn the things we grow into delicious meals. We also share the dream of making a change in our world, and shaping its future. These dreams were shaped by our first experience of the garden.

First impressions are very important, and my feeling of the garden was a good one. When I walked in, the bright smiling faces of the sunflowers beckoned me. The bright red, juicy tomatoes made my mouth water, and the cool mint brought back pleasant memories. It was a great place to connect with Courtney for the first time.

My first impression was important because if I didn’t like the garden, I wouldn’t have had a fun time. My first opinion of the garden was fantastic. I loved the variety of plants, and the open spaces. The garden guaranteed that I would have a good time with Meagan.

I learned so much about Courtney in the garden. When I first met her she seemed shy, but she blossomed into a humorous person. As we munched on tomatoes I discovered her kind nature. She was very friendly and caring, and she has become a great friend. I experienced a

lot with my in the garden.

I thought Meagan was a nice and smart person. She knew what most of the plants were, so she was very helpful in the garden. She knew what we should eat and what we should avoid. Meagan and I both enjoy doing DIY arts and craft projects and listening to different styles of music. She also had beautiful, twisting handwriting. Learning about my buddy taught me about other things to.

I have gained many insights in the garden. One is that tomatoes taste the best homegrown and with salt. I discovered that a sprig of mint will always cool you down. Most importantly, I learned that time is a valuable thing, and it is best when shared with a friend. These insights have molded my dreams and ideas.

One insight I gained in the garden was that homegrown vegetables are the best. You know exactly where they come from, and they are always natural. They are always juicier, and they always taste better.

We both dream to make a change in the world. We want to make the Earth green again. We want to rid the world of trash, and we want to keep our oceans crystal clear. We want humans to be able to harvest the full potential of our Earth for as long as they can. Some of our daring dreams sprouted from the seed we planted in the garden.

Written by: Meagan Michalik and Courtney Nelson

Vasant, Jackson, and Garrett

When I first met my garden buddies, Jackson and Garrett. I thought I was doomed, or what meant was that I was going to be troubled by maniacs. But, turned out that I was wrong. They are pretty strong speakers and writers. It was just that they had some problems and I have to get them on task. It will be a big responsibility but I can manage it.

When I saw my garden buddies, Vasant and Garrett. I was curious to see what he was like. Were they friendly? Were they smart? What nationality were they?

It was extremely enjoyable working in the garden with my buddies, Vasant and Jackson. Picking tomatoes to eat them was exciting. We had a lot of fun in the garden and working.

The things that we have in common is not as much, but we do have some commonalities that we have. We like playing video games (not as much), studying, learning, and etc. Jackson and Garrett’s favorite subject is science, but I like math. We all like to read books and we also work hard to improve on many things. We all like to fly and being adventurous. We don’t have a lot in common, but we do have some.

The only things we have in common are that we like video games, but Vasant doesn't like to play that much video games. We are all boys. We also work hard to get good grades. Except I don't work that hard. And Garrett is kind of weird.

We go to the same school. Jackson and I like science, but Vasant likes math. Also Jackson and I like Minecraft.

My first impression on the garden was that I wished that I owned it so I don’t have to waste my money on groceries. Not only just that, but the veggies are all fresh. Also the tomatoes look so plum and juicy. Tasting the tomatoes with salt was enjoyable. We were having some good time

together, laughing, working, and etc. Working in the garden was very delightful.

The garden looked like a second grader-made garden, which it was. The plants were close to sprouting. I saw the tomatoes, cabbage, and lettuce.

My first impression of the garden was wow, "this is so, empty." The reason that I thought that was because I was in another class, two other classes, actually. Those classes were Mr. Maron and Miss Wise.

What I learned about my partners is that they are very annoying and daydream a lot. Garrett wants to be an astronaut when he grows up. Jackson wants to be an engineer on video games. They are smart, but I’ve to keep them focused constantly. In fact, they are very random on subjects. It’s a big pain in the butt, but I’ve to work hard and be friendly to them.

I learned that Vasant is Rushi's big brother. Another thing I learned is that Garrett plays Minecraft.

I learned more about Jackson and Vasant's interests. Vasant likes to sketch models like an

engineer on video games. They are smart, but I’ve to keep them focused constantly. In fact, they are very random on subjects. It’s a big pain in the butt, but I’ve to work hard and be friendly to them.

I learned that Vasant is Rushi's big brother. Another thing I learned is that Garrett plays Minecraft.

I learned more about Jackson and Vasant's interests. Vasant likes to sketch models like an engineer. Jackson likes medical science like I do. They like flight as entertainment. Also, Jackson likes video games.

One insight I’ve gained from this activity is to be very responsible. My responsibility was to keep Garrett and Jackson on task and also to keep them focused. It's a big job, but I got the hang of it now. Sometimes I think to myself that why am I even doing this, but it shows me how to be responsible.

One insight I learned is how to fake-crack my knuckles when I was picking up the veggies.

Now I know that a garden is a great place to make new friends!

I gained the insight of how fun gardening really is. I had a garden that died almost immediately. I think it died as soon as it was planted. Now I know how to plant and nurture them.

In the future, we will work hard and become better people. Destiny knows what holds the future. Obstacles will come in our lives, but we got face it and not give up. It will be pretty tough, but you got to work hard to achieve a goal. This garden writing will shape the future of Pine View. Kids like us in the future will read this and take some advice and use it.

Written by: Vasant Patel, Jackson France, and Garrett Berkowitz

Benjamin, Ben, and Josh

The first time Mrs. Schell told us that we were going to have fourth grade buddies too work with in the garden for a book we were going to create (this is the first time we’ve worked in the garden). This in turn wasn’t exactly our current routine of classwork (we were doing Anne Frank stuff at the time).

In the beginning of our partnership, I felt intrigued and also a bit confused simultaneously. I was interested in the feeling of working and teaching someone younger than me, but the teaching part of this activity made me confused because I’m not a trained teacher.

When I first met my garden buddy Ben, I was excited to work with someone above my grade on something other than normal work. What I thought I would’ve learned from him is a higher

tier of information about things like the natural world around us, for example. We had a lot in common.

A thing that the three have in common is that we like video games where we create things like space engineers and role playing games like Undertale. We also love nature, we also all go to Pine View School for the gifted, all three of think that Pine View School is a step up from schools like SMS because we have less homework but with that comes with more responsibility, another thing that we like about Pine View School is that we have an hour of lunch, and we can spend 30 minutes of that time going to fields which is basically a time where we can go to the p.e. fields to do just about whatever we want.

I, Ben’s, first impression of the garden was that it looked as if the garden was more than an ordinary garden. It felt exotic. I thought it looked like a giant mirror, reflecting the sunlight. It was also a place where you can meditate to the naturalness of the place (cough, the garden).

When I, Ben 2 saw the garden, I thought it looked beautiful. Some of the plants looked like

creatures from other planets and others were just visually impressive because they had such a large array of colors and shapes.

When I, Josh first saw the garden, I thought that I wanted to have one of my own. I now want to eat a ton of food, especially the sugarcane. When I first tasted the sugarcane it tasted like well pure sugar.

My partners Ben2 and josh, wear glasses, and I know Ben’s brother. One of the insights that I got from writing and working together with people younger than me is that even though people are younger than us they can still be as smart as a whip. I think this because most people that go to Pine View School have an average IQ of 130 or higher which basically means that they’re more intelligent than normal kids which basically means they have faster knowledge absorption rates.

The first time I interacted with my partners in the garden I learned that even if they didn’t have the advantage of being tall, they still had their wits. Even if they are not athletic, they also have the ability to be extremely charismatic to get what they want.

When I first met my buddy Ben in the garden, we learned and found that he is an intelligent person, but we all go to Pine View and He likes video games, and so do I. We learned that my buddy liked growing plants and likes tomatoes. We also learned that he is great at speeches.

A few insights that I, Ben, gained from this activity was that even in your darkest times a good nice garden can give you nirvana and peace of the mind. Gardens are also very cool, moist, and beautiful. And that even if a child is younger than you they still have the capacity of being as clever, or even smarter than you.

An insight I gained was that even just being in something like a garden can make everything more peaceful, and everything is calm. It is a refreshing experience.

One insight that I gained from this activity was that my partner was very smart, and he liked nature as much as I do. I thought that he was smart because he knew a lot about a variety of things, including nature, and is insanely good at world history. He liked nature as much as me because we both like eating fruits and vegetables from mother nature.

A dream that my partners and I share are that we want to stop global conflict by planting the seed of the beginning of world peace around the globe by promoting world peace with the United Nations.

The UN is a worldwide organization that promotes world peace and international cooperation.

Written by: Benjamin Lim, Ben Copeland, and Joshua Wood

Lily, Abigail, and Amaris

It was a dark and stormy afternoon... Mrs. Schell called my name, and I immediately introduced myself to my new partner and found one of the only shady spots in the whole garden. We worked relatively quickly for the next few visits to the garden before joining forces with another partner. The two fourth graders together were a nightmare... (I would also like to add here that both fourth graders seem to be in "silly" moods. Permanently. I hope this excuses some of their more... ah... outrageous responses.)

When we went into the garden, I thought that it was much bigger than I would have expected, and I was surprised that people had already planted things in it. I didn’t even know about it before! All the vegetables were really delicious and green.

The garden was very lush, and the plants were very healthy. And I tasted the veggies, and they tasted amazing! I tasted a tomato and some mint, and I liked them.

When I walked into the garden, my senses were overwhelmed with a myriad of colors and smells. Like Abigail, I did not expect it to be as large as it was. I was only expecting a few rows of plants, but instead, there were dozens of different types of fruits and vegetables. It smelled of dirt and leafy greens, like one of those health food stores where everything is raw, organic, and there's nothing with more than six grams of sugar. Heaven forbid you eat a potato chip!

I was happy when I met my buddy, because we already knew each other, and she was nice.

I was interested when I met my buddy, Lily, because I wanted to work with her. I also wanted to get to know her more, and hoped we could maybe become friends.

I had already met Abigail a few times before (at the car line), so no introductions were necessary. I didn't need to be incredibly frustrated a second time because my fourth grade buddy was three inches taller than me. We worked together for the next few trips to the garden, and

soon welcomed a new member to our small group, Amaris. She and Abigail already knew each other, but they did not get along very well, which did not make things easy. I found out (too late) that they both seemed to be rather obsessed with hanging over my shoulder, with their faces two inches from the screen.

We learned that Amaris doesn't like math, Lily doesn't like most fruits, and Abigail only likes her tomatoes with salt. We also found out that Amaris likes to play on her computer, and that Abigail and Lily both enjoy sports and play the piano.

We have many things in common such as the color blue, ice cream, and summer. We also share a love for animals, especially Amaris, who hopes to become a veterinarian someday. Abigail is looking forward to a possible career in engineering, which is surprising, because she doesn’t like math… Maybe her interest in engineering will help change that.

The insight I gained from this activity was that working with someone older than me helped me write better. That activity helped my writing skills, and now I am a better writer.

Working in the garden was an experience to remember. The garden was beautiful, with all of its colors, and I think that I will always remember it.

I learned many things from working in the garden. One of the things that I learned was that editing someone else's work helps me with my own writing. I also learned that being in nature helps bring people together, and that you shouldn't be afraid to try new things. Abigail and Amaris tried tomatoes, and I tried a piece of raw kale. A tiny, itty-bitty piece, barely a centimeter long, and it was still absolutely disgusting! Of course my teacher thought it was hilarious, but I was not amused. It was a very traumatic experience.

We all hope to go to good colleges, and Lily hopes to travel for education someday. Abigail does not like traveling, but she would like to become an engineer. She also hopes to become (or swim in) chocolate milk sometime in the near future. Amaris wants to be a panda. Also, Abigail is under the false impression that Lily wants to be green.

Written by: Lily Mannelin, Abigail Pereira, and Amaris Gonzalez

Brian, Colin and Brandon

On the fateful day when I first entered the garden, I was immediately bestowed upon by two unruly children going by the names of Colin and Brandon. I was at first stupefied by these children, as they happen to be very wild, like Tarzan in the jungle after a monkey stealing his food. They were also very hard to control, like a Chihuahua on a leash. Nevertheless, through our adventures, and our troubles, we bonded and became very good friends.

When I first met Brian he was pretty strange, but he turned out nice. I thought he might be mean because he is a big guy, but I was glad that he was rough in a fun way. Like when he put us in a headlock, one under each arm! That was awesome!

The first time I met Brian he was pretty stupid and dumb, but I learned that he was very cool.

As time went by and we started to know each other, I also realized that he is smarter than I thought. I wonder if he thinks I am bright, like him?

My garden buddies and I all have a common interest in music. Brandon and Colin’s preference in music both points to that of pop music. Colin’s favorite song is Me, myself, and I, and Brandon’s favorite song is My House. Both are wonderful choices! I personally have no preference in music because I simply enjoy all types of beats!

When I first entered the garden, I was astounded, not by its beauty, but by its humbleness. A school that embraces nature, even using a landmark of nature when it titles itself, planting such a nice and humble garden in an area previously barren and lifeless, now blooming with life. What a sight!

When I first saw the garden it was very beautiful. I saw many colors, flying bugs, creepy crawling bugs, sweet strawberries, and sour dill!

The garden was very distinguishing. There were many beautiful flowers and plants growing,

and knowing that most of the things there were edible, made it even better!

I learned through my time in the garden that it doesn't matter the age, it doesn't matter the differences, anyone can get along with a common goal in mind. As for my buddies, I learned that Brandon is really into football and Colin was into soccer. Both are amazing players in their respective field!

I learned through our time together, that my buddy was very nice and cool person. We have a lot of laughs when we are together, and yet, somehow, we managed to pull this story together. I also learned about my buddy in the garden that he was pretty cool, played video games like me, and made his own high quality memes. I hope to know Brian as I go through school here at Pine View.

We go through our lives seeing many faces. Some we recognize and feel safe around, some just fly by like a blur, and some wither and fall off to reveal another face. When I first met my buddy in the garden, I was slightly intimidated, I felt like his face represented malice. It turned

out that in the end it was just a mask, while he may have been rough at times, like when he gave Colin a bloody nose (that was an accident) but he was a very kind gentle person. We both have an interest in video games, and one thing that I still can't comprehend, are that all of his memes are original content.

For the future, me and my garden pals are going on different routes. Brandon wishes to be a world renowned football player and Colin wishes the same for soccer. I on the other hand, would like to pursue a career in science, particularly the fields of dark matter and black holes. I know Mrs. Schell is involved with NASA, and I hope to work into a career with them in the future. I understand I can work for them and acquire college credit. Hmmmmmm....

Those are my garden buddies and my dreams for the future. I wouldn't have known about these two amazing children if I hadn't gone to the garden with my Language Arts class in seventh grade.

Written by: Brian Zhang,Colin Baird, and Brandon Day

Elisabeth "Lissi", Charlie and Max

As I walked into the garden for the first time I was excited, and a little worried. The garden was so full of plants and food. I was so distracted by all the plants that when Mrs. Myers assigned me my partners, I didn’t even notice. “Oh, hi there!” I introduced myself. I’ve never really worked with little kids before so this was an interesting experiment. Their names were Charlie and Max. They were perfect partners! They listened and were eager to learn!

*Crunch Crunch* There were leaves everywhere, and I was stepping on all of them. At first I didn’t know that we were even going to work with seventh graders. When I first found out about our partners, I was very happy and nervous. I was happy because I was partnered with my best friend Charlie, but nervous because I didn’t know "Lissi". So I couldn’t wait to get started

because I haven’t ever written in a book before.

*Wow* was the first thought that came to my mind when I walked up to the garden. Now I felt nervous and anxious. This is because I like to work with people, but I wanted it to be the right people not just some people I don’t know. When I realized that I got to work with my best friend I calmed down a little, but I still didn’t know who my seventh grade buddy was. I hoped our writing experience would be as exciting as my first reaction of the garden.

Working with little kids is actually very enjoyable! Walking around the garden reminded me of things that I like to do. I love to be outside, and also sing and act. I enjoy doing things with other people. This is why choir is perfect because I get to sing with a lot of people and do things I love to do. I also want to grow up to be a successful musician so I could sing and play my instrument “simultaneously”. Singing outside is super fun. It helps me to calm down and work more efficiently.

When I was walking outside it reminded me of video games, because some video games look so much like the real world. When I want to grow up to be a successful gaming Youtuber. This consists of making videos every day to catch people’s attention. I would like to be a YouTuber because I like to be inside and play games like Minecraft or Eyes. I like to work together with people, but don’t like to sit next to people all day. I like my space! Being outside isn’t always what I like to do, but once in a while it is really nice outside. (Like today!)

Working in the garden with my Charlie and Lissi is lots of fun, especially because I love to be outside. When I’m outside and on the playground, I enjoy doing flips and messing around. I think that being outside has brought out a lot of greatness in me. When I grow up I want to be a successful free runner. A free runner is an acrobatic and athletic discipline. I especially like to do back halves or cork screws. I do these all outside because it wouldn’t be safe inside. These tricks can be dangerous, but I like to practice and learn how to do more anyway.

My first impression of the garden was that it was very organized and green. Every corner of

the garden was filled with plants and vegetables. Also, it was neat to observe the plants. For example, there was Italian kale and American kale. These two plants didn’t look alike at all. One of them had large leaves and the other had smaller leave with more ruffles.

My first impression of the garden was that it was very pretty and colorful. I thought this because it was a nice day outside. Though it was kind of hot all of the prettiness was too overwhelming.

My impression of the garden was that it was beautiful and exotic. This is because I like to be outside and being in the garden helped bring out that feeling. It was also very lively and exciting. I personally think it is heathy to visit the garden once and a while or being outside makes you happier and have a good moral character.

I learned that Max enjoys doing back flips for fun, and Charlie likes to eat tomatoes. These are things that I saw them doing outside, while having fun. I presume they both like to be in the garden to harvest and eat the fresh things growing there.

I now understand that Lissi is kind and Max is friendly. This is because when I was talking to them I learned about their personalities and what they like to do. Being in the garden has helped bring out the good side in both the partners and me.

I discovered that Lissi likes to walk in the garden and be outside, and that Charlie is brave because she acts in the Player’s Theater. This is important because most of our Earth is outside and being brave is a good trait here on Earth.

One insight I have gained from this project is the importance of working together. This is important because it makes things go faster. If we all work together and don’t argue it makes the project go along so much easier. Also, if you don’t argue, it makes things go along more efficiently. I recently understood the importance of growing plants because this is how we get food.

One insight I have gained from this activity is that I was the only one that liked tomatoes in my group. We had a big laugh about this because Lissi tried a tomato and had to spit it out

because she hated it. She spit it out because she hated the texture, but I love the texture! This was hilarious!

One insight I figured out from this project is that, as a group, we worked very well in the garden. When Mrs. Schell said that we could eat some food, but we could only take what we could eat. As a group we were eating everything we took from the garden, and exclaiming with juicy smiles that we were having a good time.

We hope that we can all do something/leave a legacy that will stay with the world forever. We also want to all be successful in what we want to do. Some of us want to be athletes (Max) and some of us want to be Youtubers (Charlie) and Lissi wants to be a musician. Whatever it is, the garden will always bring us together!

Written by: Elisabeth Strom, Charlie Nyland and Max Interiano

Julia, Shangri-La, and Monica

When the three of us first met amidst plots of leafy green in Pine View’s community garden, each of us knew that we were about to experience something great. We had congregated, along with several other students from Mrs. Schell and Mrs. Wise’s ninth period classes, to write with each other and sow seeds of learning inside a gardening environment. From the making of new friends to the tasting of new foods, all of us came away from our time in the garden having cultivated memories that we’ll never forget!

The first time we met in the garden, I found both of my garden buddies to be very interesting and congenial. Shangri-La was a tad quiet, but proved to be very polite, respectful, and quite a lovely girl. Monica was more extroverted and outgoing; she was also wearing a rather

pulchritudinous Minions t-shirt! They both seemed to take great interest in the garden and the plants growing inside of it, and displayed an appetite for learning. Both of them are pretty awesome!

I have already met one of my garden buddies, named Monica; she’s very nice, hyper, and entertaining! On the other hand, the garden buddy I’ve only just met is named Julia, and is a very fun person to work with. When we work together in the garden, she is very respectful and patient with Monica and me. Both buddies seemed to enjoy the garden quite a lot - I liked the mini tomatoes, while Monica preferred the mint.

My feelings the first time I met my garden buddies were very exciting to me. I’m a very curious person who enjoys meeting new people and working together with friends, such as the two I met while working in the garden; they are very nice, and we share many commonalities. Shangri-La was being quiet during our meetings, because she is sometimes shy when meeting new people. Julia was very kind, and over the course of our meetings, she tried to help Shangri-La be less shy.

Among the three of us, we’ve found that we have many things in common. For example, none of us care much for the color pink, and all of us love dragons. Our favorite bands are Fall Out Boy, Twenty One Pilots, Maroon 5, and Imagine Dragons. We all have (or want to have) a pet cat. All three of us think it would be interesting to live in Antarctica when we grow up, and in our future, we all want to become doctors, lawyers, or members of any profession that’s highly lucrative. Most importantly, though, we all appreciate the experiences we’ve had and the friendships we’ve made through our garden work!

In the garden, a plethora of colors, shapes, and sizes could be found whilst looking at the numerous plants within. There were ruffled leaves of kale and mint, tall stalks of vibrant sugar cane, sweet crimson strawberries, and lovely rows of tea, among many other things! When the three of us first entered the garden, I felt astounded that so many people could come together to cultivate such an oasis of vibrant green – as well as hungry, imagining all the delicious food that could be prepared using the ingredients growing in front of my eyes!

At first glance, my impressions on the garden was positive; many colorful plants surrounded me. The garden contained plentiful amounts of kale, mint, and mini tomatoes - they were all very scrumptious. There was also some strawberries and sugarcane! I had an amazing time tasting and observing the plants in the garden!

My first impression of the garden itself was that it was a beautiful field of all colors, shapes, and sizes of plants. There were bright strawberries, orange oranges, yellow lemons, green mint leaves, azure blueberries, and violet plums. It was as colorful as a rainbow, as big as the expanse of the sky, and contained as many shapes as an enormous painting!

Over the course of our work as garden buddies, we happened to learn a myriad of details about each other. Monica is of Egyptian descent, Shangri-La is Chinese, and Julia is Greek. None of us are especially feminine. Shangri-La has two sisters, and Monica has a six-year-old brother; however, Julia is an only child. All three of us love cats – Julia and Shangri-La both own at least one, while Monica doesn’t (as some members of her family are allergic) but likes them

anyway. Surprisingly enough, we all have the same taste in bands (Fall Out Boy, Twenty One Pilots, Imagine Dragons) and restaurants (Sweet Tomatoes and Chipotle)!

One insight I gained through my work in the garden happened to be on the topic of kale. While the plant has many health benefits, it is often deemed repugnant by children because of its bitter taste and odd texture. I myself had proclaimed my hatred of the leafy green since I was small, not because I had ever actually tasted it; it just seemed like the kind of thing that kids should despise eating. Consequently, I had never tried it before setting foot into the garden that day – but after being persuaded to take a bite, I found that it was actually rather delicious! I ended up not only overcoming my unfounded abhorrence of a vegetable, but I consumed half the supply of whatever class happened to be growing a plot of kale beside the garden’s entrance.

One insight I gained while working in the garden was that I enjoyed working in gardens a lot! Before this experience, I had never gotten a chance to taste many of the foods growing in the the garden, and I thought that garden work – especially in Florida’s warm climate - was too hot

and sunny for my tastes. Now that I’ve had a chance to taste these foods, this experience has changed my opinion on working outside in gardens! (I still think it’s much too sunny, though.)

One insight I gained from working in the garden is that I like to eat tomatoes with salt. Before working in the garden, I despised tomatoes, feeling that their sweet taste and mushy texture made them unbearable to taste. But when I went to the garden, the seventh grade teacher – Mrs. Schell – told us that they would taste much better with a bit of salt sprinkled on top. Against my better judgement, I took a bite – and surprisingly, it tasted amazing! My taste buds must have changed between my first judgement and now, because this experience showed me that salty tomatoes are actually pretty good!

The three of us want to have a good life – we’d like to enlist in a well-paid career that we enjoy, to harvest the rewards we can gain from climbing corporate ranks, to move away from this town and plant roots somewhere where the grass is greener. We want to make sure that our lives end up well, in order to ensure that our posterity will be able to sow their own seeds and live out their

years in a happy and successful manner.

Written by: Julia Kourelakos, Shangri-La Hau, and Monica Henneway

Kate, Ariana, and Christine

The beginning of this exciting adventure arose from a small book called Seedfolks. Seedfolks focused on many different stories of people who found their inspiration from a small community garden. Being the interactive school Pine View is, we decided to create our own garden experience. Soon, we were on our way to a fun, educational, and beautiful experience.

The garden is a very calming place, all of the smells and fluorescent colors make the whole experience wonderful. The first time we met I knew we would have a fantastic time discussing our ideas and thoughts about the stunning garden because they both seemed eager to learn. Our short time in the garden so far has been extremely pleasurable. The warmth of the sun and the sounds of nature make everything exciting.

My garden buddy was very kind, like a blossoming flower. It was a lovelyexperience in the garden with her. The whole environment was fun and enjoyable. It was also wonderful to get to hang out and know someone from a different grade. Talking with people you would not normally converse with is exciting because you get to learn about other opinions you may not have heard about. The garden did this for us.

The first time I met my buddy, Kate, I thought she was awesome! That was a great experience! This interaction was so wonderful because I got to be with an older student. I don’t have an older sibling so it was nice to experience the feeling of having an older person to talk to.

All three of us have the love of the garden in common. We all agree that it is calming and beautiful, being away from all technology and commotion of the busy world. All of the colorful plants are relaxing and extravagant. We also agree that the garden brings people together that normally wouldn’t have a relationship.

Some commonalities that I have with my buddy, Kate, is that we both think that a

garden or any place free of electronics and civilization is alovelyfeeling. I am so used to my normal routine, so this was a great change in my schedule. The vibrant colors of the plants were outstanding compared to the usual bland colors we see in our everyday life.

Two commonalities we share is that we both had Mrs. Myers and we both like sunflowers. The variation of the sizes of plants were interesting to discover with my garden buddy. We both loved to explore all of the different types of beautiful plants. One of our favorites were definitely the sunflowers. We both agreed that Mrs. Myers was a wonderful teacher.

The first time I saw the garden I was in awe with all of the bright colors and abundance of plants. The garden emitted a sort of energy that would allow friendships to begin. The disconnection from all things distracting help spark conversation. Many happy topics were brought about and made the whole environment warm and welcoming.

When I first saw the garden I thought it was beautiful. Luscious green plants, sunflowers, sugar that glistens in the sunlight, and bright red strawberries sprouting. It was so beautiful! I

now want to start my own garden in my backyard, this experience is inspiring me to do so many things.

When I first saw the garden, I was impressed with the garden. Everything was blooming. I heard a bee buzzing, the garden smelled fresh. I usually don’t have this in my garden! I loved being in this garden because it creates experiences I have never dealt with.

I learned that Arianna and Christine are both wonderful people. They are kind and brilliant. They also lighten the mood with jokes that make everyone smile. They are exciting to talk to because they both have their own opinions about things, and don’t just believe what people tell them.

I discovered that my buddy, Kate, used to be Mrs. Myers student and that she came to Pine View in fourth grade, unlike me who came here in thirdgrade. We also both have the liking of mint leaves in common. The minty flavor of the leaves are almost like a refreshing mint. Lastly, I learned she has no pets, where I have three!

I learned that her name is Kate, her birthday is June 9th. Also, I noticed that Kate and I both enjoy the company of the beautiful, bright sunflowers. Speaking of flowers, Gardenias are both one of our favorite ones. She loves that the petals are soft and spurt out in a beautiful pattern.

I gained knowledge about the sociability of the garden. Being in the garden sparks conversations and creates interesting topics to discuss. It also creates a certain type of bond that only nature can establish. Beautiful plants, flowers, and wildlife are very interesting and is different from the plain classroom we are used to seeing every day.

Some new things I learned from working in the garden is that many of the plants come in different shapes, sizes, and colors. For example, there was an enormous broccoli plant. I also imagined that strawberries were in large bushes, but instead they were grown inside little shrubs.

One insight I gained from working in the garden is that many of the plants look similar but really are quite different. For example, the tomato leaves seemed to be disguised as mint leaves. In addition, the garden contains a wide variation of plants from tea leaves to sugar cane.

All three of us share many hopes and dreams, but one really stood out. We would all love to travel around the world. Visiting famous places around the world is a huge aspiration. The landscape seems to inspire writing, and leaves us in awe of the long history everything has had. Visiting different cultures brings new information and many wonderful new experiences. We hope our growing dreams bloom. We also believe traveling at a young age is helpful, because it nurtures a growing passion.

The garden overall is a wonderful, friendship building, and colorful place, and will always be one of our favorite places to hang out.

Written by: Kate Wagner, Arianna Skevington-Olivera, and Christine Tagle

Cecelia and Sonia

Walking up to a big green space, called the garden, I was about to meet someone whom I would share a great story. I didn’t know what to expect. Would my partner, Sonia, be into the same things I am? Turns out, after getting to know each other, we shared many common interests.

When I first saw Cecelia, I was nervous about the future. I hoped that we would have something in common. Would the garden somehow give us something to talk about? Thankfully, it did. We quickly started to bond and found commonalities.

The tomatoes in the garden look like tiny soccer balls. This reminds me, Sonia plays soccer and I row. Both Sonia and I like being active and going outside. We see outside as a time to enjoy

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