Meet Gina Cassaday, a 6th grade science teacher at Pleasanton Junior High. She’s made a difference in children’s lives at Pleasanton ISD for 11 years.

For the 2021-2022 school year, Gina maintained her school garden without funding. She used scraps of fencing and whatever she could find to make tomato cages and trellises for the cucumbers. She enjoyed showing her students that they don’t have to purchase fancy raised bed boxes or special items to have a successful garden. Students enjoy planting, caring and harvesting vegetables. In the past, they have even been able to go to the cafeteria where their Food Service director teaches the students how to prepare dishes with their harvest and then they not only get to eat but they also get to share samples with their entire campus

Gina hopes to use grant funds for a few different things. First, she would use a portion to revitalize the garden.

Secondly, she wants to take students to The Outdoor School at Camp Champion. This is a great opportunity for students to experience their curriculum outdoors. They study water quality, astronomy, the ecosystem and get to team build. She likes to take students that may not get this type of opportunity any other time. She is happy to say that next school year, this camp will be on the agenda again.