Dove Springs Community Garden @CMMS
Workdays are the first Saturday of the month
Community Garden Workday and Clean-Up Sat. August 11, 2018 - 8:30 to Noon
3/3/2018 Workday- Akins Student Volunteers Visit the Farm Stand
Akins Eagles (former Mavericks) Construct a Simple Ladder for the Bean Plants
Thanks to Mr. Wall's PLTW Students
Can't wait to see the picnic tables for the outdoor learning area sponsored by GM and the National Wildlife Federation.
SFC Farm Stand
Garden Stepping Stones
Akins Volunteers Making Stepping Stones
3/2/2018 Lettuce Farm On Hold
Pending AISD Special Projects Approval
Lettuce Farm is Coming to the Dove Springs Comm Garden!
Akins Eagles Are Friends of the Dove Springs Community Garden @CMMS
The Before Shot - November 4 Work Day
Making Mosaic Stepping Stones
Free City of Austin Mulch!
Monarch Heroes Garden News
Community Garden Leader, Alfredo Padilla, and his family were on hand - they have given countless hours to the projects in the Maverick Green STEM Academy - from assisting with the building of the chicken coop and shed to taking a crew to get the free city mulch to fill into the bermed area on Saturday. We are fortunate to be close to the City's free mulch on Business Center Dr.
Akins students split up into teams and one group cleaned the entire campus exterior grounds area - it is amazing how much trash is littered on our campus. We thank all the groups for their service, including students from our campus and Widen Elementary. That's collaboration!
The Monarch Garden Plan
ECO SCHOOLS USA
Laying Out the Monarch Garden
Students Consult the Plant Guides
The After Shot
Designing the Mosaic Stones
Ambitious Monarch Garden
Check out our feature on Good Day, Austin - Thanks, Fox 7 and SFC!
STEM ADVANCED Academy Student to Head Monarch Way Station Project
Before the installation, we measured the area for mapping the new garden
Here's the Problem: Milkweed, the only plant that supports the entire life cycle of the Monarch butterfly, has been damaged by chemicals that kill the butterfly. The population of Monarchs is in decline.
Questions We Are Trying to Answer:
1. What is the best way to plant a pollinator garden that will attract Monarch butterflies?
2. What native flowering plants do we need to plant in the garden?
3. How can we propagate native milkweed to increase the supply of plants that have not been sprayed with the chemical?
4. Why is it important to be concerned about the Monarch decline in population? Why does it matter? What other factors might be contributing to the decline?
5. How do we want the garden to look so that Monarchs and other pollinators are attracted?
Field Experiences:
Students in the Green Ag Careers course will travel to the LadyBird Johnson Wildflower Center to explore how native plants help the ecosystem in our sensitive areas, such as the Edward's Aquifer and the Dove Springs Williamson Creek Watershed. Students will also explore a cave and experience and outdoor natural play area we hope to inspire us as we design a similar area at the Dove Springs Community Garden in the future.
Project Deliverables:
- Students will submit designs for the garden to scale and use Google Sketch-Up to present their designs.
- Students will submit a materials list for a portion of the garden (dirt, rock, plants, etc.)
- Students will research native plants, cite sources, and make recommendations for native plants and prepare a budget. We have $2,000.00 to spend on our garden through a grant from AISD Science and the National Wildlife Federation.
- Students will enter data into the EcoSchools USA site to document the project. MGSA is going for Bronze level and eventually, Green Flag status.
- Students will name the garden and create signage in English and Spanish for the site that teaches the community about the garden, the Monarch and the importance of creating native schoolyard habitats that support pollinators.
- The garden will achieve a NWF Schoolyard Habitat designation- students document the project on the ECO Schools USA website.
Visit our site often for important updates on our progress!
The DSCG Garden Crew on Saturday, September 9th
Beautiful Weather and Smiling Faces Helped Refresh the Wicking Bed for Planting
September 9th is the First Community Garden Workday for 2017-2018 9:00 -11:00
Help Us Design the New Monarch Way Station on September 9th
Dr. Lepine, MGSA Director
MGSA Students are Monarch Heroes!
MGSA Students Begin Giving Power Packs
Chickens Return to Kibbie's Koop on September 4th
Coming Soon to DSCG
Maverick Green STEM Academy won a Bright Green Future Grant from the City of Austin
The Austin Ed Fund is a Supporter of the Dove Springs Community Garden
The Work Crew Completed the Entryway Columns May 5, 2017
Ruben Shows How Big the Pumpkins Will Grow
Watering the Trees is a Community Effort
Abuelita Rebecca in Front of the New Keyhole Garden
The Padilla and Rodriguez Dad's Build the Shed Floor May 6, 2017
Last workday for the 2016-2017 school year- Saturday May 6th 9:00 - 11:00
Please help us build our shed!
and Come See the New Student-Designed Entryway
Come See The New Garden Entryway Designed By a Mendez Student
What's Going on at the Dove Springs Community Garden?
The Footer is Poured
CIS Director, Tony Aguilar
Madye's Columns
Kibbie's Koop Proclamation by Chief of Staff, Lesley Varghese, on behalf of the Honorable Mayor Steve Adler
Earth Day April 22, 2017
Say eggs!
Robert Kibbie Jr and III with new principal, Chris Jones
Robert Kibbie III gives a speech at the dedication
Yanoff Family Donates Keyhole Composting Garden
Scene Two: The potato plant is growing!
The Potato is Grown!
Kibbie's Koop Build
Next Work Day is Saturday April 1st!
L to R - Matt Kjeldsen, community volunteer, and parents, Alfredo Padilla, parent and DSCG Leader & Reynaldo Rodriguez, parent volunteer, put the dedication board on the coop.
Andrea Kibbie and Robert Kibbie, 7th grader, watch as center part of the coop is set.
Preparing the Foundation
MGSA Parents and Stryker filling in the footer
About Halfway Finished in 4 hours!
Volunteers from St. Ed's help MGSA students, Idy Rodriguez and Jacqueline Padilla, weed gardens on March 25, 2017
MGSA Students Prepare the Footer for the Chicken Coop Build in Miss Styker's Class
TreeFolks Donates Trees for the Food Forest - Fruit Tree Orchard
30 trees for 30 years
In Just Three Workdays MGSA Students, Parents, Community,Faith-Based Organizatons, Business and Industry
November 5, 2016 - The Orchard Begins - Seven Families Planted Seven Trees
Mr. Pope's architecture firm has connected the group with a structural engineer, Moises Macia, who will be working with Mr. Wall's DM/AR students to turn Mayde's winning design from a 2-D conceptual drawing to a 3-D drawing and a construction company is donating all the materials
BJ Forguson with Love Where You Live South Austin
At the First Workday Students Constructed Two Wicking Beds
The Concrete Columns As Designed
The Fence and Arched Signage
Students Learn Authentic Skills
Moises Macias, Structural Engineer
Ron Pope, Architect
TAS Concrete Austin
A Huglekulture Pollinator Garden and Monarch Waystation Was Constructed and Planted on October 15th
Zuleyka and Idy water the Milkweed
The Trench is Filled With Organic Matter
The Finished Garden
Saturday November 5- The Fruit Orchard Begins -MGSA Moms Plant an Orange Tree
Mrs. Pope and the Mulato-Barron Family Plant a Mango Tree
A Little Compost, A Little Mulch
The Esquivel Family & Mrs. Rodriguez
The Mulato -Guerrero Family
Mark Your Calendars
- December 10th- we hope to pour the concrete pillars (9:00-12:00)
- January 7th - Building compost bins, laying out where the shed will be constructed (9:00-11:00)
- February 4th-Garden Shed construction- tentative (9:00-12:00)
- March 4th - Possible Campus Clean-Up Following the CMMS Heritage Festival (9:00-11:00)
- April 1 - Campus Work Day with St. Edward's Volunteers- The Big Event (9:00-12:00)
- April 22 - Earth Day in the Garden - A celebration of our efforts (9:00-11:00)
- May 6 - Shed Construction - Bring Your Skills (9:00-12:00)
- June 3rd- Google workday cancelled - they were unable to commit to our garden at this time.