Turning Point’s Dirt to Dish Program is constantly expanding. We started two summers ago as our Middle School students used produce from our garden along with dairy products and bread from local farmers to serve snack to the entire Summer Camp every day. We have now expanded the garden three fold and have reinstituted our school-wide compost program. Dirt to Dish is designed to instill in our students an understanding that keeping and harvesting a garden, along with cooking and eating together, allow for a true expression of affection for one another, that leading a sustainable lifestyle is a noble goal, and that healthy eating and an active lifestyle lead to long-term good health and a clearer mind.

Further, Turning Point’s garden, through Dirt to Dish, provides limitless opportunity for project-based learning. During Summer Camp and throughout the school year, the garden and our compost program play an increasing role in our curriculum. This past summer, our Middle School students researched our water usage at school along with the history of water usage in Southern California. They also investigated and ran our compost program and researched the biology behind it. As our garden expands, so too will the learning potential it creates. Already this year we have multiple After School Classes centered around the garden, along with numerous visits from our science, art, and Spanish classes as teachers integrate the beauty and wonder of the garden into their curricula. Further, Dirt to Dish has inspired our Faculty Community Service Learning Coordinators to set up a relationship with Enrich LA that will allow our students and Faculty to bring their garden knowledge to other schools looking to institute a garden program.

We’re incredibly excited to watch as our Faculty and students work together to enhance our understanding of the natural world around us.