Endzone orchard breaks new ground in Richmond

FALL 2014 TOUR REPORT: KENNEDY HIGH SCHOOL


RICHMOND, CA - Kennedy High is part of our 5-year program with Nutiva to orchardize every public school campus in Richmond, CA. Our Fall planting here marked an historic moment in our relationship with the school district. Like many schools in West Contra Costa County, Richmond has had a long-time ban on fruit bearing trees on campus. Thanks to intense interest from teachers and the principal, Common Vision was granted an exception and allowed to break ground on a new campus orchard for the first time in over a generation. Part of our program is to help California public schools create sustainable orchard care systems to address very real maintenance concerns over fruit falling when campus is closed for the summer.

Growing fruit in the SF fog belt

FALL 2014 TOUR REPORT: A.P. GIANNINI



SAN FRANCISCO, CA - Infinite gratitude to our friends at Tree Ring Productions who came out to help us plant on a sandy hillside at A.P. Giannini Middle School in San Francisco’s Sunset District. Tree Ring creates videos for social enterprises, individual changemakers, grassroots organizations, and non-profits in the Bay Area. We are blessed to have their help!

Burckhalter’s bompin’ orchard bearing big fruit!

FALL 2014 TOUR REPORT: BURCKHALTER ELEMENTARY


OAKLAND, CA -This Fall marked our third visit to Burckhalter Elementary, a super successful school orchard in Oakland. Think big trees and little kids! This amazing school orchard is a great example of our new model of deeper ongoing engagement with students and teachers.

First planted in 2010, Burckhalter is bearing big fruit!. According to Michael Flynn, “Burckhalter has fruit trees that are totally bompin’.” (Bomp: (v) To bear big, juicy fruit. Common Vision unabridged dictionary of school orchard slang). They had a good crop this year, and are expecting an even bigger harvest next. Bomp on Burckhalter!

Jackhammering drought-baked schoolyard soils

FALL 2014 TOUR REPORT: LEARNING WITHOUT LIMITS



OAKLAND, CA - Our visit to Learning Without Limits was another extended jackhammer morning since we didn’t have an opportunity to pre-drip the site and soften up the soil the day before. At sunrise the morning of the planting, it took an advance team of five Common Vision groundbreakers using jackhammers, picks, and shovels to get the ground ready to receive a new 12-tree school orchard.

Permaculture in action at school orchard plantings

FALL 2014 TOUR REPORT: FAITH RINGGOLD SCHOOL OF ARTS & SCIENCE


HAYWARD, CA - For the first stop on our Fall 2014 School Orchard Tour, we were excited to return for our second visit to Faith Ringgold School of Arts & Science in Hayward. We planted a small six-tree orchard here in 2006 and returned this Fall to find the Elephant Heart Plum, Santa Rosa Plum, and Comice Pear trees thriving and in need of a good pruning.  With their orchard now the heart of their garden program, the Common Vision crew added six new trees, bringing the school up to a dozen fruiting trees on campus.

On the Road with Common Vision

Many, many thanks to our friends at The Edible Schoolyard Project for a great feature report on Spring 2014 Fruit Tree Tour. The mission of the Edible Schoolyard Project is to build and share an edible education curriculum for kindergarten through high school. They envision gardens and kitchens as interactive classrooms for all academic subjects, and a free, nutritious, organic lunch for every student. Integrating this curriculum into schools can transform the health and values of every child in America.

> Read their full report on Fruit Tree Tour

Fifteen Years From Now

"This tree you're planting today is a  gift to the future," I tell my group. Looking around at their faces I see the usual scene: a couple eyes locked on me, some checking for worms in the dirt, and naturally, one pair has drifted off to distant day dreams. I wonder if they get the message; maybe I should repeat that part? But then I remember yesterday.