Adriana Duran, Mrs. Leech and Mrs. Wiegand

The team’s innovative teaching idea, “Greenhouse Guidance/G2 Project,” focuses on incorporating a greenhouse to assist students who are at risk of dropping out or who are classified as special education students due to emotional and behavioral issues. The Voya Unsung Heroes grant will help the teachers purchase the greenhouse and necessary gardening tools. The teachers believe gardening has multiple benefits, including improved communication and social skills, increased self-esteem, acceptance of responsibility, stress reduction, anxiety and frustration management, and reduction in aggressive behaviors. The team will also collaborate with the science, art and culinary arts classes, so that students feel included and are able to interact with the general education population.