Students at Taylor Mountain Elementary are getting their hands dirty in a brand-new campus garden, thanks to a local volunteer’s green thumb.
Santa Rosa real estate agent Dillon Forsyth funded and built the wine-barrel garden beds last month, even letting the kids pick out the seeds for tomatoes, kale, and carrots.
Teachers say the outdoor space has become a vital classroom for the Title 1 school, where many students live in apartments without backyards. On a recent visit, the young gardeners were seen busy assembling trellises and identifying sprouts they planted themselves.
Beyond just growing vegetables, the school says the project is teaching these kindergarteners essential lessons in teamwork and community.
Forsyth, who documented the build on TikTok, says seeing the kids’ excitement makes the $500 investment more than worth it.