National Group of the Month

Each month the National Junior Master Gardener Program Office will select one local JMG group/class for exemplifying the JMG Program mission of: Growing Good Kids by Igniting a Passion for Learning, Success & Service.

TEACHERS/LEADERS: Nominate your class/group of JMG students to be recognized as a 2025-2026 JMG National Group of the MONTH by submitting the nomination form below. Nomination criteria are listed in green on this page.

OCTOBER 2025

Perris Green City Farm
Perris, California

Grades/Number of students in JMG Group:
24 students, elementary-middle school

Group Leader: JMG Level 1: William Tursellino, City of Perris – Public Services Department – Program Coordinator &
JMG Level 2: Aaron Leyva, City of Perris – Public Services Department – Program Coordinator

JMG Curriculum Utilized: JMG Youth Handbook & both JMG Level 2 curriculum guides

Gardens include: Aeroponics systems, an aquaponic system, and traditional raised beds with vegetables, herbs, and flowers.

Memorable or favorite experiences: The Perris Green City Farm is located in the heart of Perris, CA, where every summer the Junior Master Gardener program is hosted. This summer, the Public Services Department led the JMG Program, in which students ages 8-14 had the opportunity to learn about gardening through fun, interactive and

educational activities, as well as hands-on horticultural training. Students harvested a total of 40 pounds of summer vegetables such as tomatoes, chili peppers, bell peppers, zucchini, and berries, grown through various farming methods inclusive of aeroponic, aquaponic, and traditional raised beds.    Over the course of the program, parents began to highlight the efforts of the Public Services Department and the passion that the students brought home from the program. Multiple parents described how their students were enjoying the program, applying what they learned by cultivating their own gardens at home. Students also expressed interest in the classroom by asking for tips on how to make their plants thrive at home. Overall, the program allowed students to reflect on where they stand in relation to food, agriculture, and their community.

Service Learning The Junior Master Gardeners not only learned how plants grow and develop, but they also learned how to grow as members of their community. Students in Level 1 of the program assisted in a project to help renovate the raised beds at the Perris Green City Farm. As a team, students worked together to prune plants, sand, and cover raised beds with plastic to prevent paint runoff from affecting plants. They also worked tirelessly to paint multiple coats of weather-resistant paint to both beautify and improve the longevity of the raised beds.

Students in Level 2 of the program helped prepare backpacks and food bags for the Pack-a-Smile event. As part of the Mayor’s Alliance to End Childhood Hunger, students in Level 2 helped prepare over 690 backpacks for the City of Perris, which were distributed to residents. Through sanding, painting, and preparing backpacks for a giveaway, students learned that service to the community is an essential part of what makes a community function. The JMG program helped grow model citizens and future role models for the City of Perris.

How the garden program benefits our kids: In 2016, The City of Perris initiated the Grow Perris campaign, with the goal to improve health outcomes for residents of Perris. The Perris Green City Farm under Grow Perris serves as a space to facilitate horticultural and nutritional education for the community. Programs such as the JMG curriculum are important as they make learning about health interactive and engaging. As part of the curriculum, the Junior Master Gardeners learned where their food comes from, how plants grow and develop, and how to start their own gardens at home. The program also made them conscious about the choices they can make to improve their environment. Students also began adopting healthy habits, replicating what they learned in our program and applying it to their gardens at home.

To learn more about this the special JMG group, visit the Perris Green City Farms page and check out the group’s recognition during the August 2025 Perris City Council Meeting (JMG recognition starts at 7:00 min mark).

Who will
the next
National
JMG GROUP
OF THE
MONTH be?

SEPTEMBER 2025

Champlin-Brooklyn Park Academy
Champlin, Minnesota

Grades/Number of students in JMG Group:
250 students, grades k-5

Group Leaders: Master Gardener Volunteers, Teachers and Casey Wiedenman (Campus Curriculum Integrator & JMG Leader submitting nomination)

JMG Curriculum Utilized: JMG Youth Handbook as a part of monthly lessons with 4th and 5th grades.

Gardens include: Vegetables, herbs, fruit, as well as flowering & other beautiful plants

Memorable or favorite experiences: CBPA is a specialty school in the Anoka-Hennepin Public School District. Our program focus is on Mathematics and Environmental Science. With that focus at the forefront we’ve teamed with JMG for years and feature monthly lessons with each 4th and 5th grade class. These lessons are run by Master Gardeners from the University of Minnesota Extension program while being supported by classroom teachers and the curriculum integrator.

 

In addition to these lessons, each grade level (K-4) has multiple raised bed gardens that are planted, maintained, and harvested with a specific focus. These included: Kindergarten, fruits & vegetables from the story Tops & Bottoms – 1st, Sunflowers – 2nd, Pollinators – 3rd, Fruits & Vegetables from the various versions of the story Stone Soup –4th, Salsa Garden – 5th Grade students assist all garden planting, harvesting and prepare hanging baskets for a school fundraiser to support our program.

Service Learning: During the December lesson for 4th graders, students created bookmarks for a senior living center in our area. The bookmarks feature dried and pressed flowers that the students collected in the fall. They also feature a mix of favorite gardening quotes. Students also create pomanders to take home and give as gifts during the holiday season.

The culminating lesson for our 5th graders is on assembling hanging baskets and patio pots as a part of our end-of-year fundraiser. The students assemble these items using donated plant plugs from local nurseries.  Student raise these plugs into healthy plants and create baskets using design elements they’ve learned during their time in the JMG program. Many of these baskets and pots are purchased by proud families eager to display their student’s work.

 How the garden program benefits our kids: Our students work hard throughout their time at CBPA, but not every student loves their time in the classroom. Getting a chance to work outside in the gardens or in our school greenhouse is something many students jump at. When I enter a classroom hands raise to volunteer without even knowing what is needed!

I love seeing our students getting their hands dirty in the gardens and enjoying their time outside in nature. I’m thrilled seeing our graduating 5th graders showcasing their knowledge and being good role models helping younger students planting and caring for our grounds. Our students leave our program with gardening knowledge and confidence. I’m very proud of what we’ve accomplished at CBPA through the years and hope we can continue a successful JMG program.

To learn more about this campus and amazing group of JMG kids, visit https://www.facebook.com/CBPAMES