The Desert Oasis Teaching Gardens

Albuquerque Academy Classes

The DOT Gardens are a teaching tool for classes of all types: math, science, fine arts, foreign language, and beyond! While some classes come out on a seasonal basis, other classes are actively involved throughout the year, tending to the garden’s needs and building infrastructure to enhance learning opportunities for future students.

Read about current student projects in the Student Investigations blog.

Albuquerque Academy Environmental Clubs

Students at Albuquerque Academy can self-select to explore environmental quandaries and sustainable food production by joining Environmental Clubs. Club students help manage and maintain the garden while also organizing school wide events promoting sustainability and awareness on campus.

Conferences

As part of a goal to expose students to professional opportunities, club students and those in environmental based science classes attend conferences on sustainability, agriculture, and environmental health. Beyond attendees, our students also serve as presenters, sharing their work and goals of the DOT Gardens.

Summer Interns

During the summer, Albuquerque Academy students are offered job opportunities on campus. Students selected as interns in the DOT Garden learn about production, irrigation, pest management, water catchment, and marketing. Student interns can participate in the weekly Farmers’ Market where they garner business and community relationship skills.

Summer School

Working in collaboration with the Albuquerque Academy’s community summer program Think Summer, we offer elementary aged students the opportunity to explore science and math in the garden in our Digging It! course. The summer program is open to children throughout the Albuquerque metro area.

For more information on summer classes in the DOT Garden, contact our Garden Manager, Tiana Baca. You can also visit the Think Summer page for information on other summer courses offered by Albuquerque Academy.