Thanks to an Agile Grant awarded last year, the PFW School of Education (SOE) has been able to deepen its commitment to hands-on learning and community connection through the SOE Urban Garden.
Founded in 2019, the garden was envisioned as a space to unite students, educators, and the broader Fort Wayne community. This vision recently blossomed into something special through a new partnership with Abbett Elementary School. Drs. Julia Smith and Sharon Parnin teamed up with Principal Frank Kline to bring young students and PFW preservice teachers together for experiential learning.
This spring, kindergarten and fourth-grade students at Abbett grew plants in their classrooms, then brought them to the garden for an unforgettable day of planting. With the help of volunteers and future educators, the children planted tomatoes and peppers, added worms to enrich the soil, pulled weeds, and created nature photo projects.
The students will return in the fall to help harvest the crops—produce that will stock the shelves of the PFW Food Pantry. In doing so, these children aren’t just learning how to grow food—they’re also learning how to give back.
This joyful, messy, meaningful day in the dirt is a beautiful example of how grants make a lasting impact—nurturing curiosity, community, and compassion, one plant (and child) at a time.