A garden of inspiration
Mckenzie Ellis is landscaping at Buffalo Ridge Elementary where she is the volunteer manager of the school’s garden.
Gardening is a mainstay for Mckenzie Ellis. She kept a garden in the maritime climate of Cape Cod where she grew up; in the humidity of New Orleans where her two children were born; and in the arid environment of Colorado where, over the last four years, Mckenzie has managed the Buffalo Ridge Elementary (BRE) garden.
In 2009, Mckenzie and her husband, Andy, moved to the Village to be close to family. “All of my husband’s family lives north of Denver. Over the years, we visited Colorado many times for family reunions. Colorado works well with our lifestyle, so Andy and I moved here knowing it was the right place for us to raise kids,” Mckenzie explained.
Mckenzie’s two children, Cooper (10) and Aisling (8), are both students at BRE. When the school was searching for a replacement volunteer to manage the garden, Mckenzie knew she was a great fit and took the position.
As an avid gardener, food blogger and part time nutritionist, Mckenzie’s goal is to inspire children to enjoy the process of growing plants and appreciate eating food from a garden.
“I run educational activities in the garden throughout the year. For example, the BRE Veggie Crunch highlights a vegetable of the week that is in season. I correlate a healthy recipe from my food blog with that vegetable. The intention is for kids to take the recipe home and make it with family,” Mckenzie shared.
Mckenzie also runs activities that educate students about composting, recycling, fungus and worms. Her programs are geared toward developing a symbiotic relationship between children and the soil beneath their feet.
During the cold months after the end of the growing season, Mckenzie fundraises and hosts a holiday wreath and tree sale. The profits from fundraising are used to buy soil, seeds and gardening supplies for the upcoming season.
“In March, the second graders start the garden in greenhouses inside the school. By May, we are ready to go outside, and the whole school helps with planting in the garden,” said Mckenzie.
Mckenzie admits the Colorado climate is challenging due to the lack of water, but she can guarantee that each season the BRE garden will produce some combination of herbs, tomato, zucchini, pepper, lettuce, carrots and sunflowers.
“Volunteers take turns every week during the summer to water the garden when many families are busy and out of town. The BRE garden would not be possible without this help,” expressed Mckenzie.
Mckenzie’s long-term goal in the garden is to yield enough flowers to gift every BRE teacher a bouquet to welcome the start of each school year.
Students participating in an educational program at the BRE garden, run by Mckenzie Ellis, the volunteer manager.
By Grace Caroline Roubidoux; photos courtesy of Mckenzie Ellis.
