Sam Hughes Garden & Ecology: Tax credit dollars at work!​​​​​​​​​​
​
​
​
​
​
Gardening
What We’re Growing:
At Sam Hughes, we have two thriving vegetable gardens where every student gets their hands dirty! From preparing soil to planting, harvesting, and eating straight from the garden, our “garden to mouth” program is a student favorite. Some top picks? Peas, carrots, tomatoes, and broccoli—yum!
Our herb garden is a sensory delight, with students sampling mint, basil, rosemary, and green onion. Flowers like sunflowers and calendula brighten our space, and our courtyard’s historic grapefruit and lemon trees (planted by “Nana” in the mid 1900s!) provide fruit for a treasured school tradition: eating fresh slices and sipping grapefruit drinks straight from the rind.
​
Green smoothies, blended with chard and spinach grown by the students, are a big hit—we can’t grow enough!
​
Learning While We Grow:
Our garden isn’t just delicious—it’s a living classroom!
-
2nd graders experiment with carrot spacing to learn how it affects growth.
-
Kindergarteners explore sowbugs and earthworms in our compost bins.
-
Everyone harvests seeds from basil, calendula, and sunflowers to replant for next year.
​​
A Community Effort:
Our amazing parents and grandparents make it all possible! They join us for planting, harvesting, and school workdays to keep the gardens thriving. And the support we receive from our community's tax credit contribution dollars makes it all possible!
Find out more about ALL the programs your tax credit contribution supports
Ecology
Hands-On Science in Nature:
From our desert garden to our tortoise habitat, Sam Hughes students explore ecology through outdoor and indoor lessons that meet Arizona Science Standards. Here’s what we’re up to:
-
Kindergarteners collect data on trees and animals like lizards and tortoises.
-
3rd graders study flowers under microscopes and learn about pollination and seed dispersal.
-
3rd-5th graders use binoculars to observe birds like the Vermillion Flycatcher (our unofficial mascot!) and the Broad-billed Hummingbird.
Habitats We Care For:
-
Desert Garden (2013)
-
Tortoise Habitat (2014)
-
Bird and Lizard Courtyard Habitat (2016)
​​
School Traditions in Nature:
Students harvest pomegranates, drink fresh grapefruit juice, and spot wildlife—all while learning how to care for the land.
​​
​Meet Ms. Graber
Ms. Graber, who has a degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and over 13 years of teaching experience, brings her passion for gardening and nature into every lesson. Starting as a parent volunteer in 2012, she’s now at the heart of our ecology program, inspiring students to connect with the natural world.
