School Scoop: Ocean Knoll’s Educational Mini Farm Begins

The garden at Ocean Knoll Elementary is growing, thanks to a planting party held Feb. 11 on the campus. Volunteers of all ages worked on the back lot of the school, and Solana Center’s Gardening 301 class sponsored the first garden beds. The group incorporated a yin-and-yang design to symbolize balance with the earth. Straw wattle beds were created via the “lasagna” method—filled with layers of soaked cardboard, coffee grounds and "greens," a layer of "browns," and then a layer of compost. Students planted cilantro, zucchini, peppers, onions, chard, and tomatoes, as well as apple, pear, and almond trees. The food can be used for student lunches. For more information about making a donation to the school’s garden program, contact Mim Michelove at mimsfamily3@gmail.com.

Ocean Knoll isn’t the only local campus enhancing its natural surroundings. Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary’s garden recently added two small hydroponic greenhouses, which will provide vegetables for student lunches, in a program headed up by parent volunteer Dana Reed. Another campus project is the OPE Nature Trail. Under this new initiative, more than 130 people have helped renovate the quarter-acre slope in front of the school with a landscape of California native plants during two planting-day events. With support from the PTA, local Daisy and Girl Scout troops, Eagle Scouts, and a donation from CS Illumination, more than 250 plants have been put in so far, including coast live oak trees and a native milkweed species that provides food for Monarch butterflies. The project is led by Gjon Hazard, a parent volunteer who is also a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist; other participants include Encinitas Rotary, San Dieguito Academy Rotary Interact Club, and the San Diego Chapter of the California Native Plant Society.

El Camino Creek Elementary students got to meet some heroes up close through the efforts of the school’s Dads Club. During a recent lunch time, firemen, policemen, a veteran awarded a Purple Heart, and an FBI agent came to the school’s playground to talk with the kids, who also got to see some emergency vehicles. The special guests returned to the school that evening for a question-and-answer session with El Camino Creek families.

Cardiff Schools Education Association (SEA) is preparing for its largest annual fundraiser — a Gala, themed Black & White by the Sea, which is slated for March 10 from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the Encinitas Community Center. Some of the items up for bid include trip to Hawaii and a 10-night stay in Bali. Gala tickets are still available online.  

High school seniors with ties to the Del Mar Fairgrounds can apply for one of four $5,000 Don Diego Fund scholarships. The awards will be made to students in four categories: 1. 4-H member; 2. Future Farmers of America member; 3. Employee at the fair, racetrack, or fairgrounds; and 4. Fair exhibitor. Application deadline is April 2. For more information, call 858-792-4210 or apply online.

Kohl’s Cares Scholarship Program offers more than $420,000 in scholarships and prizes to kids ages 6 to 18 who are making a difference in their communities. Nominations can be made through March 15 at kohlskids.com. Two nominees per Kohl’s store will get a $50 gift card; more than 200 regional winners will receive $1,000 college scholarships; and 10 national winners will split $10,000 in scholarships.