2012-2013 ALC Class Project

On Friday, April 26, the 2012-2013 Associate Leadership Council (ALC) class celebrated the completion of two new REAL School Gardens outdoor classrooms with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Esperanza "Hope" Medrano Elementary School, one of the project's two garden sites. The Real Estate Council Foundation contributed $40,000 to the project, which also included a garden at J.P. Starks Math, Science and Technology Vanguard.

The Real Estate Council Vice Chairman Paul Rowsey Sr. of Compatriot Capital, said, "The work done here is an excellent illustration of how The Real Estate Council puts our resources to work for the community and how we nurture future leaders through our Associate Leadership Council."

A highlight of the program was students from the school who entertained ALC class members, ALC alumni and members of The Real Estate Council board of directors with original songs and poems.

REAL School Gardens is a Fort Worth-based nonprofit organization that creates learning gardens to grow successful students. It currently partners with 98 high-poverty elementary schools in five urban school districts, ensuring that more than 54,000 children and more than 3,200 educators have daily access to innovative hands-on outdoor learning gardens.

Over the next four years, Abilene Christian University will study the positive effect the garden classroom has on students in third through fifth grades at the J.P. Starks Vanguard. Studies show that children learn better during hands-on outdoor lessons. REAL School Garden partner schools have seen 12-15% test score increases, especially in Science. Both schools will use their new outdoor classroom to teach life science, earth science, measurement, writing, environmental stewardship and leadership skills, while giving children access to fresh and organic food. REAL School Gardens will spend three years training teachers how to use the new learning garden to improve students' academic performance.

To build the gardens for both of these Dallas Independent School District schools, more than 200 volunteers including our ALC class members converged on empty spaces early in the morning and transformed them into beautiful learning gardens in just eight hours. In addition to funding from The Real Estate Council Foundation, class members are grateful for the support of the following contributors:

Compatriot Capital
United Way of Metropolitan Dallas
Bank of America Merrill Lynch
The Beck Group
JK Cherry
Architectural Lighting Associates
Lucy & Henry Billingsley
Jr. Group of the Marianne Scruggs Garden Club
TMBP Click
Morgan Lewis
Walker Engineering, Inc
Carolyn & Hoddy Peck
iStar Financial
Lee Roy Jordan Lumber Company
ValleyCrest Landscape Development, Inc
SHALE Partners
InControl
Lambert Landscape Company
Franco's Lawn & Landscape
Freese & Nichols
Knights of Columbus 799
Osburn Contractors
Kimley-Horn & Associates
Striland Concrete
Lemco
Lasco Acoustics & Drywall
Balfour Beatty Construction
EMJ
Eagle Landscape
Chuy's
Corner Bakery
Potbelly