Curiously Delightful: PES Courtyard of Curiosity

At the PES Courtyard of Curiosity, knowledge is in bloom. Students take a break from pencil and paper and come outside to stretch their legs and get their lungs full of fresh air, all while learning about growing their own food, stewarding the land, and all the science that ties it all together. Students donate the food they grow, learn about the critters in the garden (invasive or otherwise), and get to know farm animals like cows and pigs at county farms in a program that puts science and agriculture education at the forefront of young minds.

This school garden, built in early December 2010 by the school community and volunteers from the local General Electric, has become an enormous success not just for the school but the community as well. While students donate the food they grow, they also care for the garden under close supervision to ensure they can extend the skills into their lives outside of this outside classroom. From mowing to weed eating, kiddos learn how to safely and efficiently care for the land around them.

Members have volunteered in the nearby community of Dawson Springs, using their gardening skills in various ways. They have helped put the frame of a greenhouse together for an educational farm site known as "Blanchard's Gracious Acres," and they are currently almost to the finish line of a memorial garden, "Beauty from Ashes," which will seek to honor the 19 citizens who perished in the December 2020 tornado.  

A member by the name of Noah Allen helped write a YSA grant to gain needed funds to help bring the memorial garden to fruition. Students have also helped fundraise through car washes and selling food at local events. Noah's mother interviewed every victim's family who was available to ensure that the memorial flowers are chosen, and granite pavers with the victims' images were as the family selected. It is the club's desire for the newly created garden to bring a form of healing and restoration to families and the community.

But the Courtyard of Curiosity is about more than just science and agriculture education; it's about exploration too. Through field trips to places such as Pennyrile Forest State Park, John James Audubon State Park, and mine reclamation sites, students are introduced to the arts and lessons about problem-solving, conservation, and self-sufficiency while encouraged by teachers to explore their curiosity about these subjects to their greatest extent.

The Curiosity Garden inspires students to ask hard questions about the world around them and sets students on a course to discoverability while instilling the life skill of stewardship.

Members can join Courtyard of Curiosity at Pride Elementary after exiting third grade. They use their writing skills to apply. Kelly Gates, a 27-year veteran and club sponsor, looks for kids who want to get outdoors while learning about growing and harvesting.

Members have conveyed that gardening has been a big stress reliever, and it's a place that gives them a sense of belonging. Over the course of 12 and half years since its creation, former members that were in college have come back to serve over the summer as mentors. Currently, students in grades seventh through high school serve as Forever Ambassadors, who mentor the younger members in the gardening processes.