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Memphis Catholic Middle and High School Restorative and Educational Garden Submitted by: Louisiana State University, Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture, Baton Rouge, LA

In a world of technological advances where cell phones and computers dominate the lives of this

generation, Come Alive Outside is an organization aimed to attract all people into the natural

environment, which is far too often taken for granted. Landscape architects can address this disconnect

with nature by designing attractive and functional sites to entice people to get active and reintroduced to

the benefits nature has to offer.

Along with the Come Alive Outside team, The Kitchen Community, an organization whose goal is

to provide students with outdoor learning environments to study about healthier food options, has

successfully implemented learning and interactive spaces throughout the nation for students to get

engaged and grow their own food as part of their school program. The organization has chosen Memphis

Catholic Middle and High School to be the site of the next learning garden, which will include at a

minimum, modular planting boxes, seating, boulders, art poles and a shade structure.

Founded in 1922, Memphis Catholic Middle and High School is an institution of students and staff

that share the love of Christ and the determination to achieve successful future goals through education

and work experiences. With the exception of the existing sports fields located behind the school and a

medium sized open area adjacent to the main school structure, there appears to be a lack of adequately

designed outdoor spaces for the students and staff to gather for social, teaching, education and

restorative experiences.

To meet the needs of the school, and the goals of Come Alive Outside and The Kitchen

Community, the open lawn area adjacent to the school entry has been selected for redesign into a new

garden space where students can hang out, outdoor classroom activities can occur, food can be grown

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and fellowship can be shared. Currently, the site is a blank canvas comprised of a wide open lawn bounded

by large oak trees, a few declining pine trees, slate benches and a sacred Marian shrine. To convert the

site to a purposeful and symbolic place for the present and future needs, the project construction is

proposed to be phased over a five to ten year period.

As part of the design process, students were asked what they desired out of a possible outdoor

space, the majority of the answers were all but conventional. Suggestions included an imaginative Kool-

Aid slide, life-sized gingerbread houses and a bungee-jump platform, all fabulous ideas, but what truly

Master Plan: Memphis Catholic Middle and High School, Memphis, Tennessee

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interested all of the students as well as school staff, were simply opportunities and elements to escape

the indoor limitations and experience the natural ecosystem. Also desired were elements such as ample

seating, social gathering and dining areas, and open space for play. Further discussion with students

resulted in the emergence of the students’ core values. These core values also appear in the schools

mission statement: “We prepare servant leaders through a challenging Christ-centered education in mind,

heart, body, and soul”.

The proposed design was therefore

strongly guided by the core values, in addition to

the other student and staff requests for other site

elements. The proposed site design is divided

into four sections based on the four key words of

the core values. As portrayed in Diagram 1, the

area designated as ‘heart’ is located on the North

McLean Boulevard side of the site flanking the

front entrance of the school. Here, students are

dropped off in the morning and picked up in the

evening. While waiting for classes to begin or their ride to arrive, students use this space to congregate

and socialize. To improve this space, a permeable crushed limestone seating area with tables and chairs

for students to gather at are included. The seating area and proposed path creates a new accessible entry

into the site while forming a direct route to the rear parking lot, as well as creating a restorative loop

around a centrally located great lawn. At the end of the great lawn, a group of trees framing the Marian

Shrine can be viewed, providing an axial view that emphasizes the school’s religious value. Continuing on

the restorative loop, the Kitchen Community Garden is encountered.

Diagram 1: Mind, Heart, Body and Soul Distribution

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The Kitchen Community Garden is located in the ‘mind’ portion of the site. Here, twelve planters

and a shade structure provided by the Kitchen Community organization allows student to grow their own

food for educational purposes and learn about healthier eating habits. Accessible from this space is the

storage shed and area designated for future use as a greenhouse attached to the main school structure.

Above the storage shed and greenhouse on a second story wall, a mural (for example, an angel holding a

water can) is to be commissioned by a local artist with student input can be viewed throughout the garden.

Also located in this area is a flexible outdoor classroom setting with raised seating, a cistern and

raingarden to educate students about sustainable water management and how to effectively utilize and

manage rainwater, ecological examples,

and a green-wall is proposed that would be

student-constructed and maintained using

two-liter bottles. Exiting the ‘mind’ area,

labeled native plant species and

birdhouses to attract and educate the

students about wildlife are encountered.

The design proposes the redesign and repair of the existing rooftop of the existing maintenance

shed as well as modifications to the downspout systems from the adjacent building to direct water into

the proposed raingarden or directed to the rain gutters. This water may be collected and used to water

the bottle garden wall and temporarily stored in the proposed cistern. The cistern provides an opportunity

to learn about methods of water harvesting and reuse, and can also be a good source of clean water for

irrigating adjacent plants during dryer seasons. The rain garden is designed as a shallow swale that can

capture water runoff from adjacent paving, and designed overflow from the cistern. The cistern is also a

means of incorporating students’ art onto the structure.

Kitchen Community Garden with Mural

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As the path leaves the Kitchen Community garden, students have a direct route to return to the

school building or continue along the restorative loop and enter into an area called The Sanctuary. The

Sanctuary is located in the area designated as ‘soul’ due to the strong religious context emphasized in the

space. Although this area is considered a phase two implementation, that does not degrade the

conceptual value of the space. Walking through this space is reminiscent of walking through a cathedral:

cherry trees create a V-shape overhead archway while a cross comprised of the reused slate benchtops is

inlayed in the gravel as paving, all leading to the reconstructed Marian Shrine. Students and staff can join

in fellowship or reflection in The Sanctuary. Flower and plant species, such as lilies, marigolds and

rosemary evoke a connection in association to Mary. After experiencing the spiritual components of The

Sanctuary, the loop continues into a space designed for active individuals.

In the phase two ‘body’ area of the Restorative and Educational Garden, opportunities for physical

activity and connection with nature are provided. The centrally located great lawn is considered a part of

the “body” area, due to the program flexibility of the space for anything from casual ball or frisbee

throwing to a possible concert venue where a stage can be added in the future. Per student request, eight

foot tall swings placed under the large willow oak trees for socialization while participating in a physical

activity have been provided. Located next to the swings is a sitting area with benches and chairs flanked

on one side by an abundance of native plant species. The proposed plant species such as wood aster and

sunflowers (see attached recommended plant list for additional species) , attract wildlife such a

butterflies, moths, hummingbirds and other pollinators that will aid in the pollination within the Kitchen

Community Garden and provide a learning opportunity about the ecosystems, wildlife, and other science

based topics: a teacher-less teaching environment could be created through interpretive signage and

observation.

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The proposed garden will meet the requirements of the Certified Wildlife Habitat by providing:

1) Food sources: The proposed plantings that naturally provides nectar and seed for birds,

squirrels, butterflies, hummingbirds and other wildlife

2) Water source: The proposed rain garden will provide a source of clean water for wildlife

to drink and bathe.

3) Cover and Places to Raise Young: Through our proposed planting design using native

plant materials and a more diverse planting of shrubs, trees, perennials, and other plant

types, we have provided a variation in plant height that can provide shelter, cover and

nesting areas for a wide variety of wildlife, whether the species prefer ground, shrub or

tree level. Our design includes the existing mature oak trees, as well as the proposed

shade and flowering trees, evergreen trees, dense shrub plantings, ground covers, the

rain gardens, as well as nesting boxes.

4) Sustainable Gardening Practices: Our proposal is designed for easy maintenance,

which should encourage support and maintenance, resulting in the health of the

landscape and ultimately would have an effect on the air, water and habitats for wildlife.

Through the use of native plants, porous paving, low-water use groundcover plantings

and mulching materials selected to reduce erosion and conserve water, we are striving to

create a more sustainable site that reduces the need for pesticides, fertilizers and

excessive irrigation.

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Skirting the designated and requested labeled wildlife area, a secondary mulch trail brings

students off the rigid gravel paving and into a more natural environment where a sense of being one with

nature can occur. Accessible from this trail are tires recycled and converted into planters for shade-

tolerant plants, which can afford students with another area to plant and learn about sustainability. The

restorative loop and secondary trail terminate at the location of the Restorative and Educational Garden’s

entrance.

Framing the site is a lush planting of natural vegetation to buffer sounds and limit undesirable

access into and out of the garden and create a distinctive and colorful border to the landscape. Also

proposed on the edge of the garden are the letters ‘M’, C’, ‘M’, ‘H’, ‘S’: five foot tall polyurethane letters

creating a defining element that attract attention to the school.

Construction phasing is based on the comparisons between the aesthetic and functional values.

This being determined, the pavement supporting the Kitchen Community Garden and the entry to the site

can be constructed in phase one within the initial phase budget. Once this has been accomplished, the

next phases would introduce the

restorative loop, site furnishings, trees

and various plantings, and the

Sanctuary per Memphis Catholic’s request

as funds become available. The phasing is

to keep a clear, direct path between the

front sitting area and the rear parking lot

as well as an attached kitchen garden. To

the right is a recommended phasing plan

for the garden (attached is a larger image).

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Joining the efforts of Come Alive Outside, The Kitchen Community Garden and the desires of the

students and staff of Memphis Catholic Middle and High School, a restorative and educational space that

is flexible to the activities and functions has been created based on the core values of the school. Providing

elements such as the outdoor education area, The Sanctuary for fellowship activities, an open lawn for

flexible use and an area for physical activity, a well composed and collaboratively designed space that

could be used for generations of student and staff awaits.

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Recommended Plant List for the Restorative and Educational Garden

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Recommended Phasing Plan