Environmental Science classes have built a garden as part of the campus composting initiative. The garden is located below the athletic stadium, adjacent to the swimming pool parking area.

Environmental Science teacher Patrick Wildermuth is the overseer of this project and is excited to see steady progress.

“Gardens are never done. They are always evolving and changing, but we are getting a good start,” said Wildermuth. His classes are in the process of building a wire compost area to collect leaves that can be used for the remainder of the year.

Wildermuth recently put down horse manure to make the soil more fertile. 6 boys, Lorax club members and former students, helped with the application.

According to Wildermuth, there are about 12 pine trees and 4 sequoias that need to be cut down in the area of the garden, but the class is hoping to recycle the branches and usable larger parts into the project. Wildermuth hopes the branches can be used as raised beds for the fruits and vegetables and the sequoias can be cut in half and used as benches.

“We decided to do something this year that our class would be remembered by,” said senior Ali Snider. “We wanted to make an impact at Campo,” she added.

Biology teacher Rene Gillibert wants to use the garden to teach his students how to graft.

“We are hoping to leave the hillside for native species such as oak tress and natural grasses,” said Wildermuth. “Things that are natural are the most beautiful,” he added.

According to Snider, the garden is making a lot of progress but does not have a set finish date. They hope to work on the garden all year long, planting trees and seasonal shrubs. Wildermuth added that although progress seems slow, there are many things moving along.

Snider is part of the “building group,” which means they construct, paint, fix and sand anything that needs it. Other groups include the Fruit group and the Vegetable group. The Fruit and Vegetable groups are working on the planting of specific fruits and vegetables in the garden.