Cascades Academy receives Environmental Center garden grant

School among nine recipients of organization's grants

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Cascades Academy has been awarded a $1,500 "Garden for Every School" grant from the Environmental Center in Bend. 

Faculty and staff at Cascades Academy have spent over a year looking into how they might start a school or community garden on their 39-acre campus near Tumalo State Park in Bend.

Cascades Academy is an experiential education-focused school, and a garden will serve the school community as an outdoor and hands-on learning space where students can find real-world application for a variety of studies, from biology to math to economics.

What's more, Cascades Academy is excited to offer another way for students to experience outdoor play and movement, as wellness is a huge priority for the PK-12th grade independent school. 

The Environmental Center awarded over $10,000 to nine recipients, including public and private schools, an educational farm, and community-based youth organizations in Bend, Redmond, and Prineville.

Since 2017, The Environmental Center has raised and distributed $28,000 to help build 10 new youth garden projects and support 14 additional existing school gardens.

"We are so grateful to have received this grant from the Environmental Center," said Julie Amberg, Head of School at Cascades Academy.  "School gardens are a wonderful way for students to learn about science in authentic and hands-on ways. We are excited to begin the work of starting a school garden, and look forward to the positive impact it will have on our students now and in the future."