URBAN LEARNING GARDEN ROCKDALE ACADEMY & CINCINNATI ZOO & BOTANICAL GARDEN
In Collaboration with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, P&G, & Reds Community Fund
Dream Big
One-Of-A-Kind Outdoor Learning Center First urban elementary school partnership with a Zoo & Botanical Garden to sustainably co-manage a biodiverse, living landscape alongside science and horticulture curriculum.
Program Potential • 1 acre of idle, open green space • Significant inflow of investment and resources from Cincinnati’s key foundations • Long-term partnership commitment from the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
What started with a conversation about one teacher’s dreams has led to the realization of a unique vision for conservation education. Chelsea of CPS was imagining her ideal outdoor teaching space when we asked, “What would you build if there were no limits?” Breaking ground in 2021, and lasting for years to come, is Rockdale Academy’s unparalleled Urban Learning Garden.
With endless opportunities, the program will nourish, educate, and inspire the children and future leaders of Avondale.
• Neighborhood support and engagement
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Drawing by Dean Violetta
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Propagation Greenhouse
• Semi-commercial grade, handicap accessible greenhouse • Powered by solar panels • Rainwater harvesting system • Hydroponic food production • Controlled-environment living laboratory for experiments & demonstrations
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Pollination Circle
• Pollinator gardens - labeled, selected from research & sourced from best suppliers • Central gathering circle & start point for classes, clubs, & tours • Panoramic view of the landscape
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Raised Beds & Plant Trials
• Extension of plant trialing at the Zoo • Working with best companies in the industry • Trialing annuals, perennials, & vegetables
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Themed Gardens (x4)
• Small fruits area • Fruit trees grove • Herb garden • Sensory garden - handicap accessible and designed specifically for autistic youth (ex: plants unique to touch, smell, hear, see)
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Amphitheater
• Large, flat sitting boulders surrounded by shade trees • Outdoor classroom with stage for classes, clubs, speakers, events, & more Photo Courtesy of: Earthartist Natural Playgrounds
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Quonset Huts
• Weather-proof shelters for plant starters • Extension of Zoo’s pollinator & trial plants • Storage capacity for plant sales
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zoo & rockdale: hand-in-hand The Zoo calls Avondale home, and because we know we can help, we will - period. Our Horticulture and Facilities Departments are the best at what they do and continually exceed expectations. Not only do we love to contribute with sweat, talent, and heart, but our mission is at the core of every project. Serving Community & Conserving Nature are two of the fundamental missions that define the Rockdale project.
SYMBIOSIS
“This is going to be a signature project for our Zoo and because of that, our commitment to this project is indefinite. Success would be that there are a dozen of these all around the city at other CPS schools. We’ll get there, that I have no doubt about.” - Mark Fisher, VP of Facilities, Planning, & Sustainability, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
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This project brings long-term investment to Avondale’s students and community, all the while enhancing the Zoo’s existing programs - such as Buzz Troop, Zoo Academy, Horticulture trials, plant sales and more! Together, the Zoo and Rockdale would be researching, learning, selling, sharing resources, and collectively growing (literally and metaphorically). There will be more helping hands, more diverse ideas, & more urban habitat for wildlife.
EXPERTISE The outstanding expertise and passion of our Horticulture, Education, and Facilities teams will ensure that Rockdale’s living and learning landscape will not be neglected nor wasted. On the contrary, it will be ‘next level’ and the first of its kind. From planning, to sourcing, to maintenance, and making connections to regionally-renowned partners, the project is guaranteed to be in good hands.
WHY WORTH THE EFFORT? Not only will the Zoo & its incredible partners from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Reds Community Fund, and P&G ensure that this will be the best outdoor classroom in the U.S., but more importantly...
each dollar put into this project will touch every child of Avondale. Community buy-in is secured and our key decision-makers are fired up. The Zoo’s board members and staff are fully committed for the long-haul, as well as the CPS superintendent,
SOCIAL Providing safe space for Avondale students and youth to learn, grow, and work towards becoming selfsufficient members of their community. Students themselves will become stewards of the Rockdale landscape, ensuring success from year to year.
Rockdale principal and teachers, and Avondale Community Council. We will use our vast networks and creative resources to ensure that this project lasts and is sustainable. The Zoo’s Horticulture Dept. will be treating the Rockdale program as if it were part of its own. All the work done at the Zoo will be done equally at Rockdale - watering, weeding, mulching, pruning, planting, growing, mowing, edging, & more.
FINANCIAL Ensuring the longevity of the Rockdale program through revenue generated by the sale of home-grown plants and produce. With two sales per school year, up to $20,000 can be raised to reinvest in the program - for supplies, maintenance, curriculum, field trips, and more.
ENVIRONMENTAL Transforming an idle, urban green space of minimal natural beauty into the most bio-diverse and attractive garden filled with fruits, veggies, flowers, trees, birds, butterflies and more. The living landscape will feature research-based selections of the best quality pollinator-friendly and native plants.
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Photo by Lauren McClure
every kid in avondale
The success of Rockdale’s Urban Learning Garden focuses on the opportunity for every student to use the space for learning and growth. As a model for the region, learning landscapes like this can spread throughout our city, our schools and our communities.
Nourishing, educating, and inspiring the children of Avondale through horticulture, science, and the outdoors.
science & nutrition Rockdale students will experience the scientific fields of agriculture, horticulture, ecology, and biology up-close and hands-on in their living laboratory landscape. Real-world applications of curriculum, such as plant trialing research or renewable energy systems, will be enhanced through partnership with the Zoo. Avondale is considered a fresh food desert, lacking access to healthy produce sources. Therefore the gardens of Rockdale will not only support school curriculum, but also provide fresh food and nutritional skills to the community.
business & workforce SKILLS Through curriculum, after school programming, and community events, Rockdale students will have significant involvement in learning business & entrepreneurial skills such as advertising, budgeting, accounting, inventory. Supported by the Zoo’s partnership and regional companies, the students will also gain hands-on working experience while being exposed to the endless opportunities available in environmental industries.
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Opportunities For Impact After School Clubs Summer Internships Field Trips to Zoo’s Farm Green Career Fairs Hands-On Research with Local Colleges & Universities
FIONA & CO
Cycle of Conservation & Community The Rockdale Urban Learning Garden will not only have an impact at home in Avondale, but also at a community-wide scale. The story depicted here shows the cyclical flow of energy and benefits from the GROWING ANIMAL partnership between FOOD FOR THE ZOO the Cincinnati Zoo & Rockdale Academy.
RECYCLING ORGANIC WASTE BY BIO-DIGESTION
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zoo fertilizer
GE R ATING
sustainability
zoo’s BOWYER FARM
EVENUE & RE
SHARING FERTILIZER WITH ROCKDALE & COMMUNITY rockdale gardeners
IN V E STI N
REVIVING URBAN SOIL EXPANDING URBAN POLLINATOR HABITAT PRODUCING FRESH FOOD
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healthy soil
garden market
pollinator habitat
harvest
SELLING HOME-GROWN PRODUCTS From restoring life and nutrients in urban soil, to expanding the range of essential pollinators, and to promoting communitybased entrepreneurship, the Rockdale Gardens will achieve comprehensive and long-term sustainability. 7
2021 COMMUNITY MAKEOVER Rockdale’s one-of-a-kind vision could not have come to life without the help of neighborhood and city-wide partners. The 2021 Community Makeover is the
foundation for launching the Rockdale Urban Learning Garden.
Beginning in 2010, the Reds Community Fund hosted an annual project in one of Greater Cincinnati’s underserved neighborhoods to renovate and upgrade community resources like ball parks, playgrounds, and recreation centers. Over the years, more and more of Cincinnati’s iconic corporate and community leaders began to join in and collaborate on the projects.
Flash forward to 2021, the Community Makeover project will have the highest financial investment and the largest scope (of six individual renovation sites) in its history. Thanks to the primary sponsors, Reds Community Fund, P&G, and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, over $1 million will be invested directly into Avondale’s parks, schools, and community centers. Considering the project’s extent, Rockdale Academy will be home of the most incredible transformation. Not only will the financial backing of the project ensure the highest quality resources, but Rockdale’s closest neighbor, the Zoo, has committed to the long-term partnership of maintaining, growing, and improving the Urban Learning Gardens of Rockdale Academy.
“Whenever you get the Zoo’s Design, Horticulture, & Facilities team involved, you can trust they’ll get it done in a remarkable way.” - Charley Frank, Executive Director of Reds Community Fund
Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
Document Design by Julia Glenn
Special Thanks: Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden Staff Rockdale Academy Faculty Cincinnati Public Schools Board Reds Community Fund Cincinnati Children’s P&G
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