We have an expert in our midst! Bergamo parent Heather Johnson is full of brilliant and creative ideas for helping the students get their garden growing this year. She will be working with them and the guides to overhaul our existing spaces and literally lay groundwork for a successful garden for years to come!
So many lessons in so many areas of the curriculum can be explored and supported in the garden, not to mention the peace such handiwork and time in nature can bring. We are all grateful to have Heather on board!
Our first Family Garden Work Days of the year will be on Saturday, October 3rd, at 9am, at the Bergamo campus, and Saturday, October 17th, at 9am, in Woodland.
From Heather:
“When we were looking for a new school for Dillon (then 5 years old), I visited just about every preschool and kindergarten in the entire area! As soon as I stepped onto Bergamo’s campus, I knew we needed to give it a try. When I brought Dillon for his preview day at MCD, as soon as he walked in the other children that were there swarmed him with greetings, asking what his name was, how old he was, and all sorts of other questions. They were so kind; I remember going home and telling Joel how kind all of the children were. It was then that I knew this was where we belonged. Now we’re in our fourth year with Bergamo and have two other children enrolled, and we’re still just as happy as we were the day we began.
I’ve spent my whole life outdoors, and by the time I could walk I was helping my mom in her huge gardens in Southern California. She taught me how to recognize different plants and their needs, as well as how to recognize any issues that they were having. I spent thousands of hours finding and pulling weeds, just because I thought it was fun. I’ve also spent a lot of time volunteering in the community through various organizations, and have spent the entirety of my working life with children, before I had my own. I studied Religious Studies at UC Davis with the intention of teaching, but life had other plans. I’ve continued my love of horticulture and nature, and now am focused on water-wise and sustainable landscapes. My children and I spend most of our time out in our garden with our animals, and we all get a little twitchy when we’ve been indoors for too long. I also have a love of photography, particularly macro and nature photography, and I continue to spend time volunteering in our community when time allows.”
