April 13, 2026
There is something powerful about watching a child push a seed into the soil, water it, and wait to see what grows. It is simple, tactile, and real — the kind of experience that screens simply cannot replicate. This spring, students at two Jacksonville elementary schools got exactly that opportunity, as new raised garden beds were installed at S.P. Livingston Elementary in New Town and North Shore Elementary in Brentwood.
Planting Seeds of Curiosity
At S.P. Livingston, a new raised garden bed provided by Melanated Growers, a Jacksonville-based nonprofit, gave students in the Project One Health JAX after-school program their first taste of planting. The excitement was immediate. Students crowded around the bed, eager to dig in, ask questions, and take turns with the watering can. For many of them, it was their first time handling soil, learning about seeds, and connecting the food on their plates to the ground beneath their feet. What started as an after-school activity quickly became a lesson in science, patience, and responsibility. Florida Fish Pepper Co. facilitates the after-school program at S.P. Livingston and they are working to expand gardens and other green infrastructure across the school grounds.
Over in Brentwood, Groundwork Jacksonville installed eight raised garden beds at North Shore Elementary with some remarkable help. Donovan Alonso, a Boy Scout with Troop 27, organized a group of his peers to take on the installation as a service project, assembling the beds and trellis systems that would soon be filled with soil and life. From there, third grade students in Project One Health’s Nature Rangers after-school program filled the beds with soil and mulch. The energy was contagious. Kids who are often glued to devices were suddenly excited to get their hands covered in dirt. Plus, the students were thrilled to transplant new plant plugs that sprouted from seeds they had planted earlier in the year. It was loud, messy, and exactly the kind of hands-on learning that sticks.
*Students at North Shore Elementary working in their new garden beds.
Why Green Spaces in Schools Matter
Research consistently shows that access to nature and green spaces in school settings supports children’s mental health, improves focus and attention, and fosters a sense of responsibility and connection to the living world around them. Gardens in particular offer a unique combination of physical activity, sensory engagement, and real-world science education. When children grow something with their own hands, they develop patience, curiosity, and a sense of accomplishment that extends well beyond the garden bed.
For children growing up in urban neighborhoods with limited access to green space, school gardens can be especially meaningful. They offer a rare opportunity to slow down, step away from screens, and engage with the natural world in a direct and tangible way.
Part of a Bigger Picture
These garden beds are one piece of a much larger effort. Project One Health JAX is working across four Jacksonville neighborhoods — Brentwood, Eastside, New Town, and Springfield — to create the conditions where children spend more time in nature and less time on screens. That work includes after-school outdoor programming, digital wellness education, youth leadership opportunities, trail and park stewardship, educational nature excursions across North Florida and more.
Together these activities make nature a normal, accessible part of daily life for Jacksonville’s kids, while also teaching them how to create a healthy balance with daily screen time. A garden bed is a starting point. A child who learns to grow food, care for a plant, and find joy outside is building habits that can last a lifetime.
We are grateful to Melanated Growers, Florida Fish Pepper Co., Groundwork Jacksonville and Duval County Public Schools for making these installations possible, and to the students who showed up ready to dig in. We cannot wait to see what grows.
*Students at SP Livingston planting in their new garden beds.
