The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Lutz since 1964 and Pasco since 1981.
Proud to be independently owned.

Michelle Mason

Learning Gate dishes up a garden party

By

Learning Gate Community School threw a garden party and invited its friends.

More than 80 parents, local garden club members and community leaders shared a luncheon feast in a glade beneath the branches of an ancient oak tree.

A short stroll away, fifth-graders guided lunch guests on a tour of the school’s working garden.

Anna Mitchell, 10, in headband, and Emily Slean, 10, explain Ceylon spinach to Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan and Principal Michelle Mason. (Kathy Steele/Staff Photos)
Anna Mitchell, 10, in headband, and Emily Slean, 10, explain Ceylon spinach to Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan and Principal Michelle Mason.
(Kathy Steele/Staff Photos)

Kindergarteners through fifth-graders also entertained at the luncheon with songs about nature and Mother Earth.

The annual event, in its third year, brought the school family and the community together to take a peek at what Learning Gate is all about.

“It’s so nice to see people come into our world and see what we’re doing here,” said Principal Michelle Mason.

Learning Gate abides by the motto, “Nature is our best teacher,” and has received a national award for its EcoFest, held each year at Lowry Park Zoo.

“It’s kind of like a secret, a hidden jewel here,” said Michelle Northrup, marketing and parent involvement facilitator. “Our students work in the garden everyday. We do a lot of projects, based on hands-on learning.”

The charter school for kindergarten through sixth grade is tucked away in a wooded area off Hanna Road in Lutz. A school campus for seventh and eighth grades is on Lutz Lake Fern Road.

The school’s hands-on approach can help students build confidence.

Gabrielle Cruz and Alejandro Armstrong and cherries Gabrielle Cruz, 10, and Alejandro Armstrong, 10, got a cool assignment to talk about a Jamaica cherry tree on a warm day at the Learning Gate garden party.
Gabrielle Cruz and Alejandro Armstrong and cherries
Gabrielle Cruz, 10, and Alejandro Armstrong, 10, got a cool assignment to talk about a Jamaica cherry tree on a warm day at the Learning Gate garden party.

“We provide an atmosphere where they are able to explore who they really are,” said Adam Wolford, assistant principal. “This is something that really sticks with them.”

Ten-year-olds Anna Mitchell and Emily Slean said they tend small gardens at home.

They said the school garden offers a fun way to learn.

“We don’t just have to look it up in a book,” Mitchell said.

“We’re always ready to get our hands dirty,” Slean said. Besides, she added, “I love the things that are eatable.”

The classmates gave luncheon guests the rundown on Ceylon spinach, which they explained has medicinal uses and also can be used in soups and salads.

Ten-year-olds Griffin Vazquez and Ezekiel Udozorh handed out samples of freshly brewed hibiscus tea to guests touring the garden. They also took turns giving a plant lesson on the hibiscus acetosella, which can be found in the Dominican Republic and Zambia, and can lower cholesterol and blood pressure.

“They see how the world works, how food is put on the table,” said Wolford.

Chayton Martin and Kiersten Stevens, also both 10, handed out mint leaves, which smell nice, but aren’t good to eat. The plant does have eatable tubers, however, they explained.

Eighth-graders Preston Fischer, left, and Caleb McAllister perform as guests dine under an oak tree at the Learning Gate garden party.
Eighth-graders Preston Fischer, left, and Caleb McAllister perform as guests dine under an oak tree at the Learning Gate garden party.

Ten-year-olds Alejandro Armstrong and Gabrielle Cruz drew a cool assignment on a warm day under a Jamaica cherry tree.

Evan Hill and Cole Vakil, both 10 years old, handed out Seminole pumpkin seeds.  The pumpkin can be used in many recipes, they said.

“This is a really weird one – mac n’ cheese,” Hill said.

Ten-year-olds Kaylie Gagne and Skye Sharpe stood under the shade of a moringa tree, whose tiny leaves are filled with vitamins and make great additions to salads.

“It’s very healthy for you,” Gagne said.

D.J. Rivera and Jacob Koenig, both age 10, handled the “star fruit” tour.

Parents Jamie Meyer and Nicole Rametta sampled the sweet tasting fruit, cut into stars.

“I think it’s wonderful,” said Rametta. “It gives the community members a chance to see how knowledgeable the kids are.”

Published November 9, 2016

Recycling and fun are major themes at Learning Gate

By

The seventh- and eighth-graders were so revved up, it seemed like they were competing for a big cash prize.

But, they were battling for something that has no price tag.

Plastic trays, garden hose, plate liners and tin molds are used to bring life to the side of a storage shed at Learning Gate Community School’s seventh- and eighth-grade campus. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photos)
Plastic trays, garden hose, plate liners and tin molds are used to bring life to the side of a storage shed at Learning Gate Community School’s seventh- and eighth-grade campus.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photos)

They were going after bragging rights during a physical challenge at Learning Gate Community School, at the school’s seventh- and eighth-grade campus at 207 W. Lutz Lake Fern Road.

The kids were clearly having a blast, as they crab walked, kangaroo hopped, buzzard circled, salamander slithered, inch walked and piggyback rode through a relay race in the school’s auditorium.

The place was rocking with cheers and laughter, as teams raced back and forth.

The relay race is just one of the challenges that students have participated in this year, said Principal Michelle Mason said.

The challenges vary. Sometimes they’re physical. Other times they’re academic or have another focus.

“We make sure everybody has a chance to be the star and use their natural gift,” Mason said.

The students are competitive, she said.

But, points can be earned in other ways, too, the principal said.

Teachers can reward students that they notice are going above and beyond — academically, socially or behaviorally.

“We try to make sure that we encourage them in all different ways,” she said.

Although the elementary school and the middle school are on two different campuses, the school makes it a point to build on the curriculum, to give students a seamless education, she said.

The school places a heavy emphasis on environmental education and has won national recognition.

It received a 2014 Best of Green Schools award from the U.S. Green Building Council for the annual EcoFest that the school organizes.

Originally held on the school’s campus in Lutz, the event became so popular that it was moved to Tampa’s Lowry Park.

The event brings together businesses, organizations and individuals from Tampa Bay dedicated to the principles of sustainability.

The elementary campus has a sizable garden, and the seventh- and eighth-grade campus will be adding one.

This is the first year that the seventh- and eighth-graders have been housed at the Lutz Lake Fern Road campus, in a building that previously housed Hand in Hand Academy.

The seventh- and eighth-graders had been attending classes in an office building on Florida Avenue, but that was always intended as a temporary location.

At Learning Gate Community School’s seventh- and eighth-grade campus, the words ‘upcycle’ and ‘recycle’ are part of the school’s daily life. They’re reusing an old building for their school and are using ingenuity to create outdoor décor. Spray paint and hubcaps can be transformed into outdoor whimsical décor.
At Learning Gate Community School’s seventh- and eighth-grade campus, the words ‘upcycle’ and ‘recycle’ are part of the school’s daily life. They’re reusing an old building for their school and are using ingenuity to create outdoor décor. Spray paint and hubcaps can be transformed into outdoor whimsical décor.

The charter school had been seeking to build a school for grades six through 12 off U.S. 41, but those attempts were abandoned after community opposition to the proposed site.

The Lutz Lake Fern Road location gives the students what they need, Mason said.

“We spent all summer getting this in shape for the kids to come in. We made it work for us,” she said.

“We’ve kind of been using the whole theme of recycling,” she said. “We’ve recycled and reused this older building.”

Outside, spray-painted bicycle rims and old hubcaps have been transformed into flowers, and a shack is decked out with flowers, featuring recycled items and green garden hose.

This campus has 176 students and can accommodate up to 205.

The school originally wanted up to 250 students, but agreed to compromise with community representatives for a maximum of 205.

“I think it was a good compromise,” Mason said.

Published January 27, 2016