About the Project

The counseling team of Banning High School would like to establish a mental health garden for all students. Our students, who range from 13 to 18 years old, are in their adolescent years where they are becoming aware of their mental health and the impact it has on their lives. Gardening has proven to lighten moods and lower levels of anxiety and stress. The goal of our counseling team is to teach students coping skills they can utilize in their everyday routines. Gardening can help students learn the skills of increased physical activity, breathing and relaxing the mind, finding a community of like-minded friends, gratitude, and pride as they share the food they have grown. In addition, we can incorporate gardening into our science courses, as students learn to germinate and sustain the plant growth cycles. We hope to establish this therapeutic garden to help enrich the school and local community by distributing the food grown to those in need. The garden will impact the lives of all students of Banning High in the areas of curriculum and mental health.