Partnership Between OSU Irrigation Class and Garfield Elementary Garden
The district has several school gardens in alignment with the school board’s real-world learning and health & wellness goals. These gardens allow our students to learn how to grow and harvest produce and develop real-world skills beyond their academic learning.
In April, a partnership between Garfield Elementary and Oregon State University provided an opportunity to install an irrigation system in the Garfield garden. This partnership developed when Michael Wiman, the Garfield garden coordinator and a current Garfield parent, reached out to OSU Senior Research Assistant and Professor Brian McDonald, a former Garfield parent. Michael knew Brian worked at OSU in the Horticulture Department and had knowledge of irrigation systems.
Michael initially requested Brian’s help with a design and review of project quotes from local contractors. When none of the contractors responded, Brian connected with his OSU colleague, Dr. Alec Kowalewski, to see if his irrigation class might be willing to help with this project. Knowing Dr. Kowalewski focuses on real projects for his students, Brian felt this project fit nicely based on the uniqueness of its small size and irrigation system complexity.
With Dr. Kowalewski’s support, Brian designed the system and ordered the parts. Over a rainy weekend, the OSU students installed the system and, despite the weather, were enthusiastic participants. This project is a wonderful example of how partnerships across community members, organizations, and district staff can generate solutions and provide real-world learning opportunities.