Contact: Suzanne Baker
Email: [email protected]
January 29, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Lionheart School Garden
The Lionheart Garden was established in 2008 to fulfill the Lionheart School’s mission of providing a developmentally appropriate education for children who need a specialized learning environment, therapeutic interventions, supported social interactions and strategies to accommodate their individual profiles. Lionheart School serves children on the autism spectrum and with other challenges of relating and communicating.
Located on 6 beautiful acres in Canton, the Lionheart Garden is a year-round organic farm and experiential learning environment tended by faculty, staff, students and community volunteers. Students learn about growing and eating healthy food, sustainable garden practices, recycling, composting and various sciences and skills associated with farming. The garden setting provides age appropriate, high-affect meaningful activities that are transformed into academic learning, vocational exploration and job skill development for future employment and independent living. Combining traditional school year students, summer camps, vocational programs, and volunteer events, the gardens serve 200 youth annually.
Lionheart Gardens consist of 28 in-ground rows, 16 wooden raised beds, 3 chicken coops, and a small orchard with blueberries, figs, black walnut trees, peach trees, and pear trees. 2019 proved to be a bountiful year with over 1300 pounds of organic produce grown and harvested by Lionheart students. We have a strong connection with the local community, which allows us to sell our produce to many local restaurants, including: El Felix, Table and Main, Osteria Mattone, and Colletta. Residents also enjoy our produce at our Alpharetta Farmers Market booth that takes place every Saturday morning from April to October. Thus far in January, Lionheart students have sold savoy cabbage, arugula, lettuce, black walnuts and organic eggs to our restaurant partners.
When asked what kind of impact the gardens have on students, Lionheart Garden Manager said, “I feel the garden allows our students to make connections with their bodies, their peers and the world around them. I love seeing students learn a new skill like weeding or mulching and then teaching that skill to a friend. The garden is also a gateway to igniting our students’ curiosity and independence, so when a student decides to pursue an earth science subject on their own or ask a thoughtful question of the class, we know that we’re doing our job!”
The Lionheart School is located at 225 Roswell Street, Alpharetta, Georgia 30009.
For more information, email [email protected] or call 770.772.4555, or visit us online https://thelionheartschool.com/