When social studies teacher James Juarez walked through the courtyard surrounded by three beautiful century-old buildings at Cooper Academy at Navarro, he knew something was missing.
An avid gardener, he wanted to do something to both beautify the area and offer community members a hands-on opportunity to invest in their own wellness.
Wanting the project in the roughly 40’ by 15’ space to be sustainable, Juarez began to ponder the concept of a Zen Garden, or Japanese rock garden. Consisting mostly of gravel, the gardens historically were used by Zen Buddhist monks who would tend them to aid in their meditation.
“It’s a lot of gravel,” Juarez said. “But I love the idea of Zen for the mental health aspect for our teachers and students.”
With his base idea in place, he started recruiting some of his peers to help bring the idea to life. His first stop — art teacher Jolene Navarro, who he asked to help with design. They then recruited math teacher Eduardo Flores who has helped with renderings and the build, special education teacher Patrick Lopez, and English teacher Melanie Martinez.
“It’s a nice group of teachers to start off with,” Juarez said. “We all have something to add to the group.”
They officially meet after school with students every other Wednesday, but most of their recruiting is done during class or out in the garden itself as students pass by.
“As we build relationships with the students, we talk to them,” Juarez said. “I tell them what we are going to do and ask ‘what do they think?’ The biggest draw is when we’re actually out there. Students will stop and ask to help and that’s how we’re getting more participation.”
Starting in September, they began to clear the space and lay the groundwork for the garden they will finish by the end of the year. The area, which receives varying amounts of shade and sun, will incorporate a large faux river created with rocks of various colors, many of them locally sourced. At the head of the river will be a water feature in the style of a traditional Japanese fountain, with the clicking bamboo piece at the top initiating the water’s movement sequence over three ceramic bowls created by Navarro’s art students. One of her students helped with the fountain’s design concept.
“’In the Zen Garden you have to learn to get in the moment, so you don’t get overwhelmed in life,’” Navarro said, quoting her student. “I thought that was beautiful. So, we always wanted a water feature, but now we know we have to have the tapping of the bamboo as the water trickles down.”
The fountain end, which receives sunlight, will also have pollinator plants. On the far side, at the end of the river, will be the actual hands-on Zen Garden, which students can rake with two authentic Japanese rakes. There will also be flat rocks for students to stack, and totems being built by the art students. The campus testing coordinator is building two benches for the space, and Juarez is bringing in succulents and a spray bottle for students to use to care for the plants.
Throughout the building and care of the garden, the students are learning lessons that tie back to their curriculum. Juarez taught his students about Japanese culture and has tied the garden project to the World War II victory gardens. Flores has taught his students how to do proper measurements of the irregularly shaped plot. Navarro’s students are learning new techniques with clay. But there are many more personal lessons.
“One of the things for me is letting them figure things out for themselves,” Juarez said. “It’s a good lesson to work together and communicate better. That’s one of the things I was hoping to get out of it.”
As they work in the garden throughout the year, they have been able to fund their tools, liner, and some of their glass beads for the river through generous donations at Donors Choose, which were then matched by the SAISD Foundation. They’ve secured donations for plants from Rainbow Gardens and have received gift card donations totaling $400 to Home Depot and Lowes, which they plan to use to purchase the hardware needed for the fountain. They have employed found materials and plants Juarez has propagated. They have one more grant proposal in the works, and they are also selling winter card designs from Navarro’s class. Orders can be made through Dec. 10.
With their campus just a few yards from Interstate 35 South, they have dubbed their project the Urban Zen Garden, and hope, as the project grows, more students will be able to appreciate the connection to nature.
“Sometimes in our hustle and bustle we forget the connection to nature and how important it is. To create this little slice of nature is super important,” Navarro said. “You don’t need a big space to create nature and harmony and to have a positive impact on the environment."