LEAD Public Schools

At LEAD Cameron Middle School, a routine book discussion in Ms. Elizabeth Miller’s ELA class planted the seed for something much bigger. 

Text to Life Connections 

After reading The Secret Garden, Ms. Miller encouraged her students to connect to the text and find parallels between the book’s themes and their own lives. “I like to have students make connections to what we are reading,” explains Miller, “I believe making the texts personally relevant is key to getting students invested in their own learning.“ What started as a casual class discussion, quickly became a student-led project to turn the school’s courtyard into a community garden. 

Planting the Seed 

Within days, Ms. Miller realized just how interested her students were, stopping her in the hallway, eager for updates about turning their idea into a real garden on campus. “Did you ask permission for our garden yet? Have you sent an email? When are we going to start planting?” Seeing their enthusiasm grow, Miller began working with school leaders to bring the project to life, determined to breathe life into the interest her students showed. Her class began using their intervention period to research and plan their garden. Reading several nonfiction texts, and annotating to make sense of their reading, her students were using close-reading and comprehension skills to make real-world applications. 

Student-Led Learning 

Ms. Miller’s students took initiative from the start, suggesting a courtyard cleanup before planting the garden. “They were the ones who said, ‘We should pick up the trash to make our school look better,’” Miller shared, identifying a moment that showed just how much ownership they felt over the project. That same initiative and teamwork carried into planting day, as students worked together to create the garden. “It was amazing to see kids who often struggle academically and behaviorally working together to create something they were proud of,” she said. 

Lasting Impacts 

In the weeks that followed planting, the garden became a daily discussion for students and a source of pride for the LEAD Cameron Community. Miller noted just how much the project has impacted her class, sharing, “Each day the kids ask if we can go check on the plants and 

seeing their smiles and joy as the plants have been growing the last few weeks has been amazing.” 

This sense of ownership Miller’s students experienced extended beyond just the courtyard. This project supported strengthening students’ problem-solving skills, communication, and confidence. The lasting effects of the garden are felt campus-wide, shown through families

asking about the garden, staff popping in to see the progress, and students planning for what might come next, eagerly discussing another planting in the spring. 

Creating the garden reminded Miller how powerful student-led learning can be. When students drive the work themselves, they take ownership over their own learning and make meaningful connections that drive their learning, both inside and outside of the classroom.