There is a reason to celebrate: The school grounds of the International Gymnasium Meerane are among the 10 best in all of Saxony! We are in the final of the 12th Saxon school garden competition "From gray to green!
The path to our green paradise goes back about 10 years, when a large factory building that stood next to our school garden was demolished. We were allowed to use the resulting area as a high school and design it according to our wishes. Students, teachers, parents, janitors and many other hard-working helpers worked together as a team to realize a variety of projects. This resulted in a pond, self-built seating, borders with woody plants and perennials, flowering strips with wildflowers, a fruit meadow, green classrooms, a beach volleyball court, raised beds, a snack garden with berries and herbs, and much more. Even some bee colonies moved in during the summer and are looked after by the beekeeping group.
This diversity, in which sustainability in the face of climate change also plays a role, convinced the jury for the symposium in Meißen. In May, a delegation will visit us and decide whether we will be one of the three winning schools. Until then, we want to use the time to further design our school grounds: Planting bulbs of early bloomers, creating beds with heat-tolerant and insect-friendly plants, designing a nature trail to trees and shrubs, or installing rain barrels for sustainable irrigation without drinking water.
Our dream is to create a school campus where classes are held outdoors, you can experience nature, relax and recreate, harvest and enjoy, play sports and simply feel good.
Because "Planting a garden means believing in tomorrow.".
Dana Oehler - Biology teacher
