Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Pittsburg Unified School District Receives Prestigious Golden Bell Award

  • 12/04/17

Pittsburg, Calif. – Pittsburg Unified School District (PUSD) takes home its first Golden Bell Award for “Garden to Classroom STEAM Instructional Strategies,” at the 2017 California School Boards Association (CSBA) conference in San Diego on Thursday, November 30, 2017. The prestigious Golden Bell Award is recognition for the District’s Garden to Classroom program that provides STEAM strategies in instruction at thirteen schools throughout Pittsburg Unified School District. PUSD is extremely proud of its garden program and how school gardens are transforming into outdoor classrooms where students can see first-hand how plants are grown, what they are used for, and the process of creating a healthy dish from garden produce.

“We are thrilled to have received this recognition from the California School Boards Association,” said Dr. Janet Schulze, Superintendent, Pittsburg Unified School District. “The garden program aligns with our Board’s commitment to develop our students to be good stewards of the environment. Seeing the students’ enthusiasm in the gardens is a wonderful example of hands-on, engaging learning.”

Throughout the hands-on activities within the Pre-K through 12th grade garden program, teachers are provided unique professional development; students receive innovative educational opportunities, and the program promotes community involvement. Not only are students learning about healthy recipes, they are seeing first-hand how ingredients are grown and utilizing math and science skills to explore and understand all parts of the farm to table process. During each garden lesson, students also have a chance to taste test recipes they helped prepare. When creating this STEAM program, PUSD applied an uncommon strategy for curriculum. Classified staff members helped write curriculum for teachers in the classroom, developing a collaborative effort not seen in many school districts.

“This award represents a horizontal and vertical alignment of PUSD staff to support our core business of education for academic achievement,” said Enrique Palacios, Deputy Superintendent, Pittsburg Unified School District.

According to the CSBA website, the CSBA Golden Bell Awards promotes excellence in education and school board governance by recognizing outstanding programs and governance of school boards in school districts and county offices of education. A 17-member panel of judges reviewed 250 entries for nineteen award categories. CSBA staff reviewed applications, judges scored entry programs, and an on-site validation visit of the program was conducted. PUSD is extremely honored to receive the 2017 Golden Bell Award, highlighting its Child Nutrition efforts in the Garden to Classroom program.

Featured

  • Arizona District Breaks Ground on Community Training, Learning Center

    The Tolleson Union High School District (TUHSD) in Tolleson, Ariz., recently broke ground on a new Training & Learning Center (TLC) for both district professionals and the community at large, according to a news release. The 90,000-square-foot facility has an estimated completion date of spring 2027.

  • University of Kansas Breaks Ground on Entrepreneurship Hub

    The University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kan., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new KU Entrepreneurship Hub, according to university news. The Hub is part of the university’s School of Business and will include spaces for experiential learning and programming.

  • Houston-Area High School Breaks Ground on 117,000SF Multi-Use Facility

    North Shore Senior High School, part of Galena Park ISD in Houston, Texas, recently broke ground on a new multi-use facility for student extracurriculars, according to a news release. The North Shore Multi-Use Facility will include dedicated practice and training space for the school’s athletics and fine arts programs.

  • Architectural Power for the Modern Campus Landscape

    For generations, an outdoor classroom only required a textbook and a patch of grass. Today, not only has the laptop replaced the printed pages, the rise of agile learning has turned campuses into study halls with students listening to lectures and researching topics from quads, gardens, and plazas. The challenge for architects and facility managers is to provide connectivity without cluttering the landscape with visual eyesores or creating safety hazards with extension cords.