The Morse High School Garden
San Diego Roots, in conjunction with The San Diego Unified School District, helped create a 4000-square-foot organic garden/learning center at Morse High School in southeast San Diego.
Before work began on the garden in 2005, San Diego Urban Farms' Nancy Hughes conducted a survey of Morse High students about their food awareness and choices. To review the results of that survey, called Hungry for Change, click here.
With the ban on junk foods in California schools, the garden's emphasis on fresh, healthy food offers a positive solution to the growing epidemic of childhood obesity. “One purpose of this garden would be to increase the relevance of what the students are learning in their core subjects,” former principal Rocio Weiss said, “so that they can begin seeing the connections between what they’re learning in math and science and what they might be doing as adults.
Morse Garden Video
The following video was written and produced by one group of these interns with help from San Diego Roots Sustainable Food Project. The Seeds of Leadership (SOL) program was funded by a generous grant from the San Diego Women's Foundation.
Produced for San Diego Roots by Chad Reese, Greenmatter Productions
©2008 by San Diego Roots Sustainable Food Project
Download the SOL Youth Garden Newsletters
Summer 2007 | Winter 2008 | Spring 2008
Leadership Taking Root article about the Terra Nova Garden at Morse High School by Joe Tash, published in the San Diego Union-Tribune on February 23, 2008.
Wanna help?
Although the garden program is no longer a project of Roots, the new garden coordinator, Tamara Myers is looking for volunteers and would be happy to have you come and help in the garden. If you're interested, please contact her at for dates and times. Please bring your own gloves.
The school is located at 6905 Skyline Drive in the Skyline area of east San Diego. A map is below to help you find it.
Thanks, and hope to see you there!
