This garden was a long-time vision of founding Head of School, Toby Welch. After 12 years of creating an invaluable 4th-8th grade alternative school on Vashon Island, his idea for a garden came to fruition too. Stenn Design led a community design-build effort to make a beautiful and vibrant place for kids, teachers and families to enjoy in all seasons. Jil led the creation of an on-going Garden Elective program in collaboration with a strong group of dedicated parent volunteers.

An existing garden lay in disrepair when a few visionary teachers in the Multiage Program decided to take charge to create a magnificent garden rich and varied in experiences for the entire school to enjoy. Stenn Design facilitated their dream - organizing the garden into distinct areas surrounded by perennial edibles and plantings.

Chautauqua Elementary School
This garden was the brainchild of 4th grade teacher Mary Heath, intended as a place for kids to learn all about how Native American's used plants indigenous to the Pacific Northwest. She had such a good idea that Partners In Education (PIE) awarded the project a grant to build it. Stenn Design, along with Trish Howard, worked out a design that would both help kids identify plants as well as offer them an opportunity for experiential play. The garden is on a slope with a winding trail, a platform and gathering circle. This project was built by parents, teachers and kids with many generous donations from the community. Stay tuned to see how this garden grows.