So far this year teams of Rock LaFleche students visited O.B.U.G.S. (Oakland Butterfly Urban Gardens) and City Slicker Farms garden sites in West Oakland. During these fun and exciting field trips students photographed the gardens, Fresh produce, west oakland, california conduct interviews with community members and perform service learning activities like teaching nutrition classes to elementary school students. All of these activities provided information for students to address the central research question about where West Oakland residents can access inexpensive, healthy and fresh fruits and vegetables in their neighborhoods.

Rock la Fleche students also gained an appreciation for what it takes to operate these gardens seasonally. And they also learned about how the organizations serve the West Oakland community through resources, information and healthy free or low-cost fruits and vegetables. In upcoming field trips students will visit the gardens and other community-based locations of People's Grocery to learn about how this group grows healthy food and delivers it directly to residents. Rock la Fleche students often take breaks in their important research work to reflect on their own learning. These reflection activities include student panel discussions, slide shows of garden photo essays and work on the student community mural.

An important part of the West Oakland Garden Mapping Project calls for Rock La Fleche students to develop ways to promote their work to local residents, the media, student organizations, elected officials and other interested individuals and groups. Students competed in small groups to design project names, logos and slogans that represent both the focus and the spirit of their hard work. Voting for the winning designs that will appear on garden maps and other program information for distribution will take place in April, 06. The winning name and slogan are:

Name: The Garden squad

Project Slogan: Eat the Best If You Live In the West (Oakland)

	"Gardens help you learn things you don't know. They help you not to eat junk food." 3rd grader, St. Martin De Porres School
	"The garden is a place where you can have fun, you can make friends, plant fruits and vegetables, learn, cook, garden, build and smell the nice air and flowers." 3rd grader, St. Martin De Porres School
	"I think I am falling in love with this garden!" Rock La Fleche student
	"People from this neighborhood should tell other people to come to the garden to help." 3rd grader, Lafayette School
	"It (the garden) is a space that is open to everybody in the neighborhood." Staff person, O.B.U.G.S.

Through its Good Neighbor Service-Learning Grant Program, State Farm has recognized the Rock la Fleche West Oakland Garden Mapping Project project as an innovative student-led effort to address an important community need. The company has selected to highlight this project during National Service-Learning Week in April, 2006. On April 24th, Rock la Fleche students will exhibit their work in progress - a map of some of West Oakland's neighborhood produce gardens and will present and discuss other aspects of the service learning research project at a reception at the Alameda County Office of Education. Then, students will conduct a walking tour in West Oakland to distribute the map at senior centers, librarys, schools, community based organizations and to other residents.