Table of Contents Soil Organism of the Year (article) pg.3 Ron Finley’s Garden (article) pg.4 Ron Finley’s Garden (photos) pg.5 One Wild and Precious Life (poems) pg.6 Barbaric Yawp (poems) pg.7 History of Arlington Garden (article) pg.8 California Poppies (photos & information) pg.9 Letter from Christine pg.10 Letter from Katie pg.11 Letter from Nicole pg.12 Your Editors (picture) pg.13
Soil Organism of the Year During the Soil Unit, we explored many different ideas. We discussed the importance of soil and how it is formed, along with how it helps our communities and food deserts. These are just a few of the ideas gone over during our 2 weeklong Soil Unit experience. The very first day, we visited the Arlington Gardens. The Arlington Garden was a vacant piece of land waiting for a freeway to be built. Later in 2003, Betty McKenney suggested that the city was to develop a water-wise Mediterranean climate garden. The idea was taken and it is now Pasadena’s only public garden. When we were there, we walked the garden, collecting information for poems we would later write. We walked through the rock labyrinth, and then collected soil from the ground to see the bacteria that grows in different depths of soil. The next day we visited Ron Finley’s garden, located in South Central outside of his home. He lives in what is called a food desert. That is a
low-income area without easy access to affordably healthy food. He has grown a garden in front of his property, covered in foods free for those in the neighborhood to come and take. Then later in the week we went and put mulch up by the trees in Rubio Cannon, we also made propaganda posters explaining why gardening is important in food deserts. Later, the next week we rotated between bird watching, weeding/ mulching, looking for microorganisms, going on a tree walk, and composting. It was very fun to do all of those things in a timely manner, where we learned everything we needed to know. The Soil Unit was a very fun experience and it was great working with a whole bunch of different people. I loved that
it was so interactive and we got to get our hands dirty. I had a great time, and would love to be able to do something like that again. I feel as if I learned a lot, and I now know how I can help make the soil around us healthier and better for everyone around us to use!
Ron Finley’s Life Changing Garden Throughout the Soil Unit we discussed different ideas on the importance of soil in communities and how soil is formed. We also learned about food deserts. A food desert is usually a lowincome neighborhood, that doesn’t have easy access to an affordable supermarket that sells healthy food, or cannot afford healthy food, but has access. About 23.5 million people live in a food desert, half which are in lowincome areas that are more than 10 miles away from the closest supermarket. Ron Finley is a fashion designer for professional athletes. He lives in an area where not everyone can afford to go to a supermarket and buy healthy food (a food desert). We went and visited the garden he grew outside of his home in South Central (south L.A.). He grows all types of food, from lettuce to sunflowers and bananas. The purpose of his garden is to help those in his community get food that is healthy. Even
though it is on his property, everyone is allowed to come and take what he or she may need. Even though the food is there, that doesn’t mean that people know what it is, and how to make it taste good. Ron Finley is working to educate those in food desert about the importance of healthy foods. He hopes to one day expand to having a garden on every other block. When we visited, he gave us a tour of the garden in front of his home. From the inside when you walked along the wall, it was like a jungle. There were trees reaching up high, and plants covering every inch of the road verge. He walked us through the garden, and gave something to nibble on here and there. It all tasted so fresh and delicious.
that he couldn’t do it all himself. He is trying to make a difference, but he can’t go and plant all those gardens himself. We walked to the garden inside his home. There was an empty swimming pool with plants inside, and all around waiting to be put in fresh soil. In the corner there was also a beehive, where he made is own fresh honey. It was a great experience going to visit Ron Finley’s home. Along with being very nice, he is such an inspirational person and motivates people to help those who can’t afford healthy food.
He then shared with us why he was so motivated to help his community, but
Plants in Ron Finley’s backyard Page 4
Soil Central
Ron Finley’s Garden To the left: Teachers taking a group photo in Ron Finley’s pool.
Above: Street view of garden To the right: A succulent growing in a shoe, showing that you can grow plants anywhere.
Above: Plants growing on a stepstool Above: Ron Finley’s favorite part of his garden, the sunflowers.
To the left: Ron Finley’s motto in writing on his staircase
Page 5
One Wild and Precious Life Poems
The Not So Lonely Poppy
A lonely poppy Five Senses in Nature
Trapped between rocks Struggling to survive
Sight. Green.
As it stands mimicking the sun
Up, Down, Right, Left,
The lonely poppy
Everywhere you look.
Hoping for a friend
Trees, flowers, plants go beyond your ability to see.
It watches birds swoop past
Bright colors of the flowers invade Arlington.
People walk by with a few dogs
Smell. Perfume.
Including a St. Bernese Mountain dog
They have their own unique scent.
That skipped right past sniffing all the flowers,
A yellow rose,
All but one, the lonely poppy.
Marie Antoinette’s perfume
A bee lands on one of the exquisite petals
that she sprinkled over her.
The poppy seemed to stand a little straighter
Lavender,
Hoping this was her chance but soon it flew away
like Febreze, dominating the different smells around it.
As the bee flew up and into the sky
Sound. Nature.
The poppy’s petal fell down wedged between rocks
Birds fill the air with song.
Lonely once again
Their therapeutic melodies ring in your ears.
But the poppy continues the search for companionship
Leaves rustle as the wind swoops past them,
As I took a final look at the poppy
leaving a chill behind.
I saw a baby spider making a home for itself
Taste. Fruit. As your teeth crash into it, it explodes, leaving its taste behind. Touch. Plants. The rough or coarse feeling against your fingers. It can be fuzzy or hard or rubbery. The variety of textures interests you to find out.
on the poppy’s beautiful foundation
The Garden
The lonely poppy wasn’t so lonely Above me, birds walk Using power lines as a tightrope All shapes and sizes They sit, singing to the beat of their own drum
Plants surround us,
The various sounds they make, construct a song like no other
which are either taller or shorter than us.
Fresh smells overthrow the harmony
Each has different characteristics,
Rosemary begins to make up the scent,
to share with us.
With its polished yet barbed leaves The arrangement of plants create a mountain top ~ Christine
Each sticking out behind the other, constructing an illusion Trees wad together Forging a wall The peaceful garden remains still Unable to move ~ Nicole
~ Katie
Barbaric Yawp Poems After, life‌ Dirt Demystified Poem
Many people wonder what will become of them after they die
Stars, crashing into the planet
But I know what I will become
Carbon, sparking life in human form.
I will become the soil
Celestial bodies breaking into countless pieces of dust
I will become the grass
So many life forms born from cooling soil.
I will become the weeds I will become the flowers
People, fed on food from fertile soil
I will become the trees
Dying, returning to the earth
I will become the home for worms and ants
Distilling life into soft ground.
I will become the living room of moles and bacteria
Precious carbon back into the dust.
I will become the jungles I will become the forest
I, too, will crash into the planet
I will become the avocados in stores
Feed a million organisms
I will travel around the world
Flesh into the soil
I will become famous
I look up at living stars
Everyone will know who I am when they look at me All viewing me differently
~ Christine
All calling me different things But I am there‌
The Garden
~ Katie
Above me, birds walk Using power lines as a tightrope All shapes and sizes They sit, singing to the beat of their own drum The various sounds they make, construct a song like no other Fresh smells overthrow the harmony Rosemary begins to make up the scent, With its polished yet barbed leaves The arrangement of plants create a mountain top Each sticking out behind the other, constructing an illusion Trees wad together Forging a wall The peaceful garden remains still Unable to move
~ Nicole
History of Arlington Garden Walking in Arlington Garden, one can only imagine how breathtaking was the site of the mansion that stood there almost half a century ago, which was demolished in the 1960s. Once a home and the backyard of a multi-millionaire, today it is a public garden dedicated to the city of Pasadena. It exemplifies the green space, which cities are trying to maintain and provide a recreational area to the increasing urban population as the idea of having traditional parks is becoming more and more expensive as land values rise. The Arlington Garden is a true testament of the people’s love for their city. It
came about because of the vision that some Pasadena citizens championed to create a piece of paradise within their city. For this reason, they formed a nonprofit organization where many donated funds, plants, birdbaths, and all the necessary material to bring it to life. It is both a recreational and a learning center. Many schools and teaching institutions benefit from its existence, such as the USC school of landscape and design, the local elementary, middle and high schools, girl scout troops all visit the garden to study plants or engage in hand-on educational activities in order to contribute to its landscape. The garden has many types of plants including a labyrinth built by students from an all girls’ high school, Mayfield Senior School. It has over 350 trees, thousands of Mediterranean plants, cacti and
succulents, California native plants, and many others including some from South Africa and Australia. Even though there are a vast variety of plants and small animals, collectively, they provide an atmosphere of peace and harmony. The garden is one of the landmarks of the city of Pasadena visited by locals and not to be missed by the tourists.
California Poppies
The California poppy (Eschscholzia californica) became California’s state flower in 1903, the beautiful flower is includes a blue/gray stem and four gold petals. This flower prefers sandy and poor soil to rich moist soil and is drought-tolerant. The poppy plant is so celebrated in California that every year April 6th is California Poppy Day and May 13th-18th is poppy week. The color gold seems to be a theme in California symbols; the state colors are gold and blue, gold is the state mineral, and the states nickname is the golden state!
Letters From the Editors Soil is the very essence of our planet. Without it, earth would not be what it is today. We as humans rely on it for a food source and shelter. The most important thing that soil provides for us are plants which create oxygen for us to breath, and food to eat. Our entire existence relies on soil. Not only us, but also animals rely on soil as well in order to live. If you think about it, almost all living things depend on soil. The Westridge seventh grade class was introduced to the Soil unit and has spent two weeks learning about the importance of soil and the impact that it has on places all over the world. Throughout the course of two weeks, we visited many different destinations relating to the soil topic. We went to the Arlington Garden, where we observed the nature surrounding us through the five senses. We then wrote about what we experienced and saw. We walked through the labyrinth in order to clear our thoughts, “Walking the labyrinth is more about the journey than the destination” as stated on our Soil Unit Packet. We also
conducted an experiment to determine the amount of bacteria specific types of soils contain. My group concluded that the deeper the soil, the fewer bacteria it contains. Plants can be grown anywhere provided that there is healthy soil. Ron Finley grew up in South Central Los Angeles. He lived in a food desert, which is an area that does not have near by access to fresh produce. Determined to tackle this issue head on, he bought a road verge from the city and decided to plant his own garden there. Over the years the fruit, vegetable plants, and trees that grew and flourished provided him and his neighborhood with organic food. Visiting his home was a life-changing experience. Ron Finley taught us that a lot of people live in food deserts, therefore, “food is the problem and food is the solution”. He explained to us that, “growing your own food is like printing your own money”. Mr. Finley opened our eyes and showed us a different perspective on life and opportunity. He showed us how not to take accessibility to a market for granted and when faced with a need to do something about it. Throughout the Soil Unit, we have learned and experienced things that will impact us seventh graders in many
different ways. We have written poems, made propaganda posters, learned about specific organisms that affect soil in either good or bad ways, talked about food deserts, and compost. All of what we have learned will end up in a magazine that we created. Creating this magazine has given us an opportunity to continue our learning and give us many fun and different ways to interpret what we have learned into interesting articles that will captivate readers and arouse their curiosity to learn more about soil and its effect on humanity. These last two weeks of school, the seventh grade class has been an up stander by taking the first few steps necessary in making a small change in the way they think about food and soil, the importance of their availability and accessibility to communities in need, and thus help our world become a better place to live.
Christine
The soil unit was full of fun and learning. It included challenges, things that made me proud about me, and I really, really enjoyed it! Throughout this unit I learned that many things that seem empty to a casual observer are actually bursting with life. For example, when we first arrived at Arlington Gardens it seemed like we were the only ones there. But after taking some time to think, look around and listen, we saw there were flowers silently living their lives, birds calling to each other, and even more that we couldn’t see or hear. After exploring the garden a bit, I even saw a Bernese Mountain Dog exploring as well.
grow a garden anywhere! Mr. Finley grew a garden in the verge (the grass strip between the curb and the sidewalk). Even though the space is limited, it became clear quickly that the possibilities weren’t! Mr. Finley grew some much delicious food. I don’t think I could name them all but a few examples are: pomegranates, bananas, blackberries, poppy seeds, and lots more, including a delicious type of pea we all tried. It all looked so good it was hard to keep from eating everything.
This was actually one of my challenges. I had to restrain myself from petting the dog and keep my thoughts together and focused on the Soil Unit. I managed to do that successfully. In fact, I had a very great chance to organize my thoughts later in the day in the beautiful labyrinth, with a 5000year-old pattern (the age of the pattern really surprised me!:).
During this project we talked a lot about food deserts, one of the days we were asked very vague questions concerning food and food deserts and had to decide between four more specific category’s, disagree, completely disagree, agree, and completely agree. This was tough for me because there wasn’t a clearly wrong answer. Everyone had their own opinion because there was so many different ways the questions could be, and were interpreted. Everyone made their own decisions with great reasoning to explain their decision and their interpretation of the question.
Another lesson I learned was that you can
I almost forgot about the big topic, soil! We
learned a lot about soil and compost. For example I learned the difference between mulch and compost. Mulch is the material you lay down to become the compost, which is to be your soil. My group went to Rubio Canyon where we weeded, mulched, and watered baby trees! The tree I was weeding with a friend happened to be on a slight hill and surrounded by poison oak! We had to be extra careful while weeding and mulching. :) Once we finished weeding, we went to water a baby tree. We heard someone yell! We went to investigate and they had found a blue tailed skink! It was so cute! I even took a picture and took it home to show my family.
Katie
During the Soil Unit, we explored many different ideas. We discussed the importance of soil and how it is formed, along with how it helps our communities and food deserts. These are just a few of the ideas gone over during our 2 weeklong Soil Unit experience. The very first day, we visited the Arlington Gardens. The Arlington Garden was a vacant piece of land waiting for a freeway to be built. Later in 2003, Betty McKenney suggested that the city was to develop a water-wise Mediterranean climate garden. The idea was taken and it is now Pasadena’s only public garden. When we were there, we walked the garden, collecting information for poems we would later write. We walked through the rock labyrinth, and then collected soil from the ground to see the bacteria that grows in different depths of soil.
The next day we visited Ron Finley’s garden, located in South Central outside of his home. He lives in what is called a food desert. That is a low-income area without easy access to affordably healthy food. He has grown a garden in front of his property, covered in foods free for those in the neighborhood to come and take. Then later in the week we went and put mulch up by the trees in Rubio Cannon, we also made propaganda posters explaining why gardening is important in food deserts.
now know how I can help make the soil around us healthier and better for everyone around us to use!
Later, the next week we rotated between bird watching, weeding/mulching, looking for microorganisms, going on a tree walk, and composting. It was very fun to do all of those things in a timely manner, where we learned everything we needed to know. The Soil Unit was a very fun experience and it was great working with a whole bunch of different people. I loved that it was so interactive and we got to get our hands dirty. I had a great time, and would love to be able to do something like that again. I feel as if I learned a lot, and I
Nicole
Your Editors!!