Garden at Rockdale Academy Serves as Living Classroom

Rockdale Academy's two-acre learning garden creates more learning opportunities for its students.

The  Rockdale Urban Learning Garden was part of the 2021 Reds Community Fund Community Makeover service project. 

According to the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, in partnership with the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Medical Center and with contributions from P&G and the Reds Community Fund, the garden was established.

The garden includes many amenities like a greenhouse, pollinator gardens, amphitheater and a sensory garden for autistic children.

Rockdale Academy is a center of excellence for autism and has three classrooms devoted to serving children with autism. 

“We wanted to make sure that our Urban Learning Garden was all-inclusive and was able to meet the needs of all our students,” Principal Dr. Jaren Finney told the the Association of Zoos & Aquariums. “So, it was very important to ensure that we could provide them with a safe and secure place.”  

Teachers at Rockdale Academy use hands-on experiences in the learning garden to help students understand nutrition and how food quality directly impacts their quality of life.

Read the entire article from the Association of Zoos & Aquariums: Conserving Nature and Serving the Community