At Randall World Languages School (1300 Edsel Drive), there is a lush and peaceful garden, bursting with endless possibilities for learning, play, and exploration…
The garden was started by a group of dedicated parents in April 2022.
A parent volunteer with training as a Master Gardener took the lead on the project, planning out exactly what needed to be done to transform the outdoor space into a garden.
A $25,000 grant from Amazon helped to push the project forward. The school was able to use it to purchase supplies and plants, and to also set up an irrigation system. The funding helped the school start an outdoor classroom, as well, complete with picnic tables.
Volunteers worked to take out the grass and dig trenches for automatic irrigation. They also planted many trees and companion plants. It was decided that one central tree would be planted per planter bed, with companion plants placed around it, to help it grow.
Habitat for Humanity stepped in to donate and install planter bed edgings. They even donated playhouses for kids to play in, along with a shed.
“They provided infrastructure for the garden and helped us to organize everything,” said Sheryl Militar, who took over as the garden care lead after the master gardener-parent moved out-of-state two years ago. Militar has two children attending Randall.
Randall World Languages School is part of the Milpitas Unified School District (MUSD) and offers students from TK – 6th grade the opportunity to learn both Spanish and Mandarin. Parents and staff who are part of Randall often speak of how tight-knit and supportive the school community is.
Over the past few years, Militar has seen the space transform from an open grassy field into a garden overflowing with flowers, herbs, vegetables, and fruit trees.
“It’s a hands-on learning space for the kids. They learn biology, botany; and they learn how to eat healthy,” said Militar. “It’s also a place for them to enjoy. Sometimes they’ll just roam around and see the butterflies. It’s relaxing for them to have a quiet space.”
Militar comes in on Wednesday mornings and during the weekends to help maintain the garden, taking inventory, pruning, and replacing dead plants. She also makes sure to get things organized for the weekends when students from Milpitas High School and Calaveras Hills High School come over to help out.
Along with the high school kids, a handful of Randall parents also help to maintain the garden. Parents are also allowed to come and harvest whenever school is in session or when the garden is open on the weekends.
“The ultimate goal is that we’re providing fresh fruits and veggies for our students and eventually for the community,” said Kristan Prolo, Randall’s principal.
During the weekdays, Randall’s science teacher, Dr. Karen Anderson, brings her students out to harvest, learn about plants, and look for bugs.
“My classes in the garden are a great highlight,” said Dr. Anderson, who teaches students from 1st through 6th grade. “One of the most important overall benefits is getting students outside and seeing the fun of exploring nature without being connected to a screen or in an organized sport. They are all so excited to discover new things in the garden.”
One sixth-grader at Randall said, “I love finding butterflies, ladybugs, birds, and hummingbirds in the garden.”
When asked about the secret to keeping the garden so lush, Militar said they put in compost soil and mulch. They’ve also worked to experiment with the water system.
“I think our soil here is very fertile, so a lot of it is luck,” Militar said.
Along with dedicated volunteers, partnerships with other entities help to keep the Randall Garden thriving.
Milpitas Sanitation drives over and delivers free compost for the garden on a quarterly basis. And free mulch is provided by West Coast Arborists.
At no cost to the school district, CalFresh Healthy Living provides a nutrition curriculum, along with educators who come out to the school and teach a cooking class to the students.
“We’re hoping to use things from the garden, so kids can see that you harvest food from the ground and then cook it and eat it,” said Militar.
Santa Clara County Master Gardeners is also a strong partner to the garden. They recently delivered trellises that will be used to create an arch for growing gourds and peas.
Garden volunteers recently finished a pollinator garden that was built using a $1,000 grant from Happy Hollow. And they are in the process of receiving a grant from the Green Thumbs of Milpitas to start a greenhouse for seedlings.
“Randall has a very special place in my heart. It’s a very tight-knit kind of community,” said Militar. “Everyone is always very kind and willing to help each other.”
