Across Bayfield School District, gardens are sprouting up in unexpected corners—near a primary school playground, alongside a middle school, on intermediate school grounds, and behind Wolverine Academy. Each garden is unique in size, style, and purpose, yet all four share a common thread: they bring students, staff, and the community closer to the land and to each other.
The leaders of these gardens—teachers and staff who often take on the role of gardener in addition to their daily responsibilities—agree that the benefits extend well beyond fresh vegetables or colorful flowers. Students learn science and sustainability, responsibility and patience, and perhaps most importantly, pride in seeing their work bloom into something real.
“Students develop a strong sense of ownership from actively caring for the garden,” said Brennan Buiso, Wolverine Academy teacher. “It provides a unique space for our school community to connect with nature and with each other in this world of instant gratification and social media.”
At Bayfield Intermediate School, teacher Wendy Benne echoed that idea, noting that the garden has become a place where students not only practice teamwork but also connect schoolwork to daily life. “Students enjoy harvesting what they planted, learning how food gets from the garden to the table,” she said. “They gain pride in seeing their hard work turn into something tangible and beautiful.”
The gardens also reflect the different needs and identities of each school. At Bayfield Primary School, the project has become a family effort, with music teacher Tanya Young, her husband, and their children shouldering most of the labor to re-establish a space that had gone dormant. At Bayfield Middle School, the garden is smaller and planted mostly with flowers—an oasis of color and peace that math and science teacher Robert Montalbano now tends.
What ties all four gardens together is the way they encourage learning outside the classroom walls, while also creating beauty and a sense of place on school campuses. Some gardens emphasize vegetables and harvests, while others lean toward flowers and native plants. Some are heavily integrated into academics, while others are more personal in nature. Together, they represent the diversity of Bayfield schools themselves: different, yet working toward the same goal of growth.
“Gardens are more than just a place to grow vegetables; they’re living classrooms,” Buiso said. “Our project-based approach allows students to learn through hands-on work, fostering a deeper appreciation for where their food comes from and giving them skills they can use for a lifetime.”
Bayfield Primary School: A Family Effort
At Bayfield Primary School (BPS), the garden sits on the north side of the playground near the bus circle. This year, much of the work to establish and maintain it has come from music teacher Tanya Young, her husband Travis, and their children, Kohlden and Adyson.
“This was our first experience with a garden this large,” Young explained. “We dug up a lot of overgrown grass in early June and proceeded to plant a little too early for the night time temperature. We lost several flowers, tomatoes, zucchini and peppers in the first planting. We replanted after the temperatures warmed up and by the end of July we had some huge zucchini plants and promising tomatoes.”
While deer and other critters claimed most of the tomato crop, the squash and Anaheim peppers thrived, producing food that the Young family has enjoyed and shared with district personnel and students. Some BPS students even got to pitch in, pulling weeds as part of an incentive program.
Young said the garden wouldn’t have been possible without grant-writing efforts by a former staff member. “Our hope is to continue to create a place that is beautiful for students, staff and the community,” she said.
Bayfield Intermediate School: A Community Approach
At Bayfield Intermediate School (BIS), the garden is a collaborative effort led by staff members Wendy Benne, Rita Elliott, and Mollie McDonough, with strong participation from students and community members.
“Students help plant a variety of vegetables and flowers in the spring,” Benne said. “This year, we grew cabbage, squash, tomatoes, garlic, onions, potatoes, and broccoli, along with flowers native to Colorado.”
Summer presents a challenge for upkeep, so BIS is transitioning toward more sustainable choices. “One reason we’re moving to native Colorado plants is that they’re more drought-tolerant and easier to maintain over the summer months,” Benne explained.
Students harvest in the fall, learning how food gets from the garden to the table, while also taking part in cleanup and preparing the beds for winter. “Students learn responsibility, patience, and teamwork as they care for the garden,” Benne said.
The school envisions the garden becoming a stronger link between home and school. “Our vision is to create a lasting, sustainable space that reflects the beauty of Colorado’s native plants,” Benne said. “We hope to invite families to join us in both the fall and spring so the garden truly becomes a shared community space.”
Bayfield Middle School: A Place of Peace
At Bayfield Middle School (BMS), the garden is more modest but still meaningful. Math and science teacher Robert Montalbano has taken over tending the space, originally started by fellow staff member Molly Morningstar.
“It’s mostly flowers,” Montalbano said. “I plant in the spring, tend in the summer, and do some care in the fall. I don’t harvest much at all.”
Though not currently a structured part of student learning, the BMS garden still serves a purpose. “I cannot speak for anyone else, but the garden brought me peace,” Montalbano said.
Wolverine Academy: A Living Classroom
The Wolverine Academy, Bayfield’s alternative program for high school students, has made its garden a central part of learning. Teacher Brennan Buiso oversees the program as part of a fall gardening elective.
“Students, staff, and community volunteers especially with donations are all involved,” Buiso said. “This collaborative effort helps us manage the garden year-round and provides students with a chance to work alongside different members of our community.”
The six raised beds behind the school support both fall and spring projects. Students start seeds, tend compost, and prepare the beds in the fall before planting vegetables in the spring. Harvest time in the fall allows them to enjoy the results of their labor.
Buiso explained that the lessons go far beyond gardening basics. “The biggest skill they learn is to understand sustainable farming practices,” he said. “They learn about our soil in the southwest, composting, the carbon cycle, and photosynthesis, then apply that knowledge in the spring through planting and plant care.”
For Buiso, the garden is also about cultivating responsibility and connection. “It provides a unique space for our school community to connect with nature and with each other,” he said. “We are proud of the hard work and dedication our students put into this endeavor.”
Cultivating the Future
While each Bayfield school garden looks a little different—some bursting with vegetables, some transitioning to native plants, and others offering flowers or raised beds—they all contribute something important to the district. They enrich academic lessons with hands-on experience, create welcoming outdoor spaces, and nurture values like teamwork, patience, and pride.
From the smallest Wolverines at BPS to the project-based learners at Wolverine Academy, Bayfield’s school gardens are planting more than seeds. They are planting lessons, connections, and a vision for a community that grows together.
