The Sevilla Elementary Middle School (SEMS) garden’s resident turtle (Kat Nickola)

Sevilla Elementary Middle School (SEMS) is one of the smallest Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA) schools in Europe. It serves the families stationed at Morón Air Base near Seville, Spain.

With only about 30 students ranging from kindergarten to eighth grade, eight teachers team up to teach in four multi-level classrooms. Principal Tabatha Ware says the size of the school provides a “wonderful opportunity to close educational gaps with more individualized instruction.” She understands that military kids’ educational experiences can be fragmented and varied. Luckily, at SEMS there is a strong dedication to the students and to the community. One way the two come together is via the school garden.

Students working in the garden at Sevilla Elementary Middle School (SEMS) on Morón Air Base in Spain. (Karen Strawn)

In 2016, a large pine tree in the school’s courtyard and recess space got sick and needed removed. The principal gave the community a choice: they could plant another tree or build a garden. “Boom! I was on it,” says teacher Karen Strawn, and the school garden club was formed.

Strawn has been at SEMS for 11 of her 21 years teaching for DODEA and is passionate about the benefits the garden has for the students. “Nothing in the garden goes to waste, and the students see that.” In the garden club, kids learn the entire process of plant biology. They experience first-hand how long plant growth takes. They use the experience to work on math and science skills. Mostly, though, they develop an appreciation for the work needed to keep their plants, and the world, healthy. “When they harvest, I hear them saying ‘Thank you Earth for providing everything we need,” says Strawn. That is the message printed on a drawing the garden club uses for their logo. It was created by a former student. “They are taking that message with them wherever they go after this…our little dandelions go all over.”

Preparing for Compost at the SEMS garden (Karen Strawn)

Before the at the SEMS garden was planted in 2016 (Karen Strawn)

Local national gardener helping with planting at the SEMS garden (Karen Strawn)

The SEMS garden (Karen Strawn)

Compost bin at SEMS (Karen Strawn)

Math using produce from the SEMS garden (Karen Strawn)

Students interested in helping with the garden can join the garden club. They plant twice a year, once at the beginning of the school year and again in the spring. Lots of fruit and vegetables fit into the small space: from lettuce and carrots to tomatoes and peppers, there is quite a variety. A local host-nation gardener helps by bringing seeds and telling the club what to plant during the year. His expertise is very helpful because the growing season is unique. In southern Spain, many vegetables do well over the fall and winter months, while the spring and summer can get extremely hot. “Families on base volunteer to harvest and maintain it over the summer,” says Strawn. “It is so hot they usually come in the early mornings or late at night.”

Having the garden has impacted the student’s perspective on trash and waste. Produce from the garden is sent home with students in reusable containers or in bags that the garden club makes by recycling newspaper. The school has a compost bin for shredded paper waste and lunch leftovers. Students have encouraged each other to bring reusable snack and lunch boxes, and they have minimized unnecessary paper at the school.

They are hoping to become one of a handful of DODEA schools that have earned the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools rating; an initiative that recognizes schools that promote sustainability practices. One big hurdle currently stands in their way. This small school does not have a cafeteria with food service, and instead gets lunches delivered from the Dining Facility (DFAC) down the street. These lunches, however, are currently served in polystyrene take-out containers. The students are writing persuasive letters to leadership and Strawn has spoken with the local DFAC manager about the issue. “He was very positive and said the Air Force is looking for alternatives.”

Harvest time at the SEMS garden (Karen Strawn)

Harvesting celery at the SEMS garden (Karen Strawn)

SEMS garden (Karen Strawn)

As the school year draws to a close, the students at SEMS have a harvest to look forward to. Their favorite things to grow are the big pumpkins and watermelons. They also love the strawberries, according to Strawn, “because they hide underneath the vines and [the students] don’t see them for a while and then discover them again.” The garden is available for all students to access and monitor during recesses and lunch time, and the resident turtle is always there to watch over things as well.

Kids can learn all about gardening and the SEMS Garden in our Fall 2024 issue of Dandelions, coming this September!

Produce going home with the SEMS garden club logo. (Karen Strawn)