Education

Meet CATHERINE DICKINSON

our Education Director. Working for a range of cultural and education organizations in three different countries, she brings experience that our community appreciates.

“THERE IS NO MORE BEAUTIFUL WORKPLACE THAN SHERMAN - TO BE SURROUNDED BY GARDENS AND ART EVERY DAY IS A GIFT.”

This year was the first year for the Sherman Education Program. Even with some limitations brought by the pandemic, many new programs were launched and over 6,000 participants benefited.

Providing all guests an opportunity to learn from the garden was of the utmost importance to the education team. Throughout the year, new classes and programs were introduced that included interactive activities to increase engagement. Online participants benefited from the inaugural Virtual Lecture Series while in-person art and horticulture classes resumed in outdoor classroom settings using social distancing and other precautions.

The Sherman Education Program designed and established a new elementary school field trip program. Second and third-grade students from home school groups were welcomed into the garden to pilot our Habitat Explorers sessions. The sessions, linked with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) curriculum, proved successful and gave young visitors the opportunity to learn about plant adaptation in the Tropical Conservatory, Succulent Garden, and Mediterranean Climates Garden. This outdoor learning experience was designed to enhance students’ understanding of the science concepts they are learning in the classroom or at home, with an enriching outdoor destination.

For preschool children and growing families, the weekly Little Seedlings Story Time became very popular and was offered with complimentary entry. Young families also enjoyed the Garden Scavenger Hunt, Parent & Me art classes, and Garden Sprites preschool dance classes.

The Mini-Gardeners Summer Camp, and subsequent After School Club attracted elementary-aged children that were excited to learn about growing food. The children discovered many edible plants in the garden, planted their own mini-garden, and learned the basics of plant care.

In the summer, two high school interns were welcomed for a seven-week, paid program. The goal of this program was to introduce young adults to a career in public gardens and develop skills in environmental education. This year’s interns worked alongside the horticulture team while in the gardens, and discovered the wider world of public gardens through external field trips.

Lastly, the Group Tours program became increasingly popular throughout the year as safety restrictions eased. The docents conducted tours of the garden and were also available to assist guests in the garden as ‘Docent on Duty’. The Sherman Library & Gardens is extremely grateful for the Docents’ dedication and engagement with the community and visitors!

All of the Education Program’s activities further enhanced the gardens’ mission to provide people of all ages and diversity with an opportunity to discover, learn about, and engage with horticulture, regional history, and the arts. This was possible with the expertise of our staff, the strength of our collections, and our unique campus.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

6109 people participated in 303 education events 1007 guests took a guided tour 3256 learners participated in a class 10 schools took a field trip to the gardens 51 events for families were enjoyed 2 interns kick started a career in horticulture 22 lectures were attended in person 670 people tuned in to virtual lectures