A Learning Community of School Garden Professionals

The SGSO Network is an open peer-to-peer learning network with the goal of growing, sustaining and elevating a movement of equitable garden-based education.

We provide professional & leadership development, resources, and platforms to connect for members serving at a school, district, regional, state, or national level.

We Facilitate Peer to Peer Learning of School Garden Professionals

Promising Practices

500+ resources, shared by SGSO Peers, on Key Activities related to managing school garden programming.

Online Forum

A forum of 900 members discussing topics related to running school garden programs.

Webinars

Since 2017, presenting an average of 10 webinars per year with an average live viewership of 180.

In-Person Gatherings

Growing School Garden Summit, Leadership Institute, & conference meetups

For the Purpose Of

We Operate with Mission-Driven Values

Accessible, open communication that encourages collaboration, networking, and the cross-pollination of ideas.
Transparency, open-source sharing, when possible, and mutual support
Intentionally seek to make our organization, resources, and the experience of school gardening accessible to all children and communities
Commitment to an equitable movement and organization - one that strives for inclusion and justice, acknowledges and celebrates diversity and strives to bring this lens to all of our work.

Our Structure

Membership is free and open to anyone looking to advance their school gardening efforts, whether at an individual school garden or across many school gardens.
Join our e-list

Action Groups accomplish a mix of ongoing and time-limited tasks & projects and are carried out by the Governance Board and members. The Network welcomes task & project ideas from all members – email

tristana@sgsonetwork.org to propose an idea or join/form an Action Group.

Active Action Groups

Equity, Inclusion, Justice & Diversity
Growing School Gardens Summit
Leadership Institute Facilitation
Webinar Planning & Implementation
SGSO Unite! Event Planning

Potential Action Groups

The Governance Board has 14 members and meets monthly to enact the Strategic Plan, while also serving on Action Groups. We work to ensure that the Governance Board reflects the level of diversity within our network.

Per our 2021 strategic planning, we are in the process of expanding our Governance Board to 14 members. Learn more about joining our Governance Board.

Governance Board Members

Current Governance Board

Emily Shipman – KidsGardening.org – National
John Fisher – Life Lab – Santa Cruz, CA/National
Laura Thompson – Big Green – National
Lyndsey Waugh – Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation – National
Nathan Larson – Wisconsin School Garden Network
Sam Ullery – Office of the State Superintendent of Education – Washington DC
Tristana Pirkl – SGSO Network
Whitney Cohen – Life Lab – Santa Cruz, CA/National

Network Director, Tristana Pirkl, manages day-to-day operations and interacts with members, Action Groups & the Governance Board to enact our strategic goals. Email tristana@sgsonetwork.org to connect.

About our Members

We are a network of school garden professionals, serving programs at any level, from individual school gardens to School Garden Support Organizations (SGSOs) who support multiple school gardens.

Currently, our network consists of over 4,200 individuals representing more than 2,000 organizations or schools that support over 100,000 gardens.

2021 Strategic Plan

Our 2021 Strategic Plan sets forth the following 3 year high-level vision and strategies for our network.

Vision

Support the growth and sustainability of an equitable school garden movement.

Programs & Services

Relevant, collaborative, member-valued and data-driven programming, focused on furthering the collective mission of the Network and that of the school garden movement.

Membership

Engaged members who are committed to peer-to-peer learning, networking, and collaboration, and have agency within the network to participate in how best serves their each unique needs.

Operations & Infrastructure

Clear and organized infrastructure that provides support while allowing for the emergent, organic, vibrant, and collaborative leadership that makes the Network unique.

Finances

Fiscally sustainable organization with long term plans for support via diversified funding and revenue streams.

View our 2021 Town Hall presentation where Governing Board Members share: where we have been, an overview of our strategic planning process, and avenues for engagement.

Our Strategies for Success

Establish member-tailored programming, pathways, & connections
Identify & implement the most effective internal structures & processes for growth
Commit to systems change by identifying & supporting policies to advance the school garden movement
Explicitly work towards equity within membership & network leadership
Develop & strengthen partnerships to offer on- and off- ramps for all constituents
Use data more effectively & consistently
Create & utilize a more effective communication plan

When did the SGSO network form?

The idea of a national dialogue for school garden support professionals was proposed at an Open Space Session of the 2012 Farm to Cafeteria Conference in Burlington, Vermont. Since that time, we have continued to increase our reach and peer-to-peer networking.

Organizational Timeline

2022 – April 22-25: The first Growing School Gardens Summit in Denver, CO will take place, uniting 400 school gardening leaders
2021 –Network Director hired & staff, governance and Strategic Planning process completed in August
2019 – Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation commits to multi-year investment, enabling the SGSO Network to scale impact
2017 – Launch of the SGSO Webinar Series
2016 – First Leadership Institute – an immersive, week-long training for garden leaders
2014 – The SGSO Network formed to provide a space to share best practices among staff supporting multiple school gardens
2012 – Idea for a school garden Peer-to-Peer learning group sparked at Farm 2 Cafeteria Conference in Burlington, VT

Immense Gratitude

Thank you to our incredibly active and hands-on Governance Board and all of our members who share resources, collaborate and participate in delivering peer-to-peer learning each year. Our mission is made possible directly because of you!

Through a multi-year capacity building investment from the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation, the Network’s staff, networking events, and Growing School Gardens Summit are made possible.

Since 2016, Whole Kids Foundation has supported the Network’s annual Leadership Institute and, most recently, the creation of the Promising Practices Resources.