Devon Elementary wins two SUSD innovation grants for hydroponic and sound-garden projects; students also tend school flock

Devon Elementary Principal Julie Ballard said the Arcadia-area school received two Scottsdale Unified School District innovation grants this year to expand hands-on learning, including a hydroponic tower garden and a student-built sound garden, and that kindergarten classes continue an incubator program that resulted in recently hatched chicks.

The grants support project-based learning (PBL) across grade levels, Ballard said, and are intended to bring student ideas into visible campus features. "I think the innovation grant is a huge thing that people should take advantage of," Ballard said. "Make your students' ideas come to life."

Ballard told SUSD Spotlight the hydroponics grant funded five Lettuce Grow towers capable of holding about 260 plants at a time; towers will be placed around the campus, including the cafeteria and library. Third graders led initial lessons on hydroponics, including a pre-survey about students' familiarity with the concept and classroom instruction before seeing the system in action.

"They were really excited," said third-grade teacher Tanner Bullman, describing his students' response when they helped assemble the towers and tasted lettuce grown through the system.

The second innovation grant funded a schoolwide PBL unit that culminated in a "sound garden" planned for the grassy area in front of the cafeteria. Students researched connections among emotion, sound and color, designed 3-D models in Tinkercad, and built dioramas in groups; Ballard said the plans include garden beds, hummingbird feeders and a fountain placed in sections that reflect different emotions.

Ballard described the administrative work required to secure and implement the grants: preparing a budget, providing vendor links, accepting shipments, inventorying materials and coordinating volunteers and staff to install campus projects.

Devon also continues a hands-on early-years program that uses classroom incubators. Ballard said the school has "21 new chicks" on campus; she said the flock previously numbered 12 and that an individual brought additional birds to the school. Ballard said the school keeps hens and shares eggs with the school community, and that cafeteria food scraps are used to feed the birds.

Ballard said Devon is a K–5 neighborhood school in the Arcadia area, adjacent to Arcadia High School. She said the campus hosts several specialized programs, including Comprehensive Gifted Programming (CGP), English language development (ELD) supports and seven special-education programs; the campus is also an AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) complex.

Ballard and Bullman said family and community involvement is high: a longstanding parent-teacher organization helps run campus events, and the school regularly hosts tours for prospective families. Ballard credited volunteers and staff — including Ellen Young, a former parent who now serves as the school's PE coach — for sustaining programs and outreach.

Looking ahead, Ballard said she wants to continue expanding specialized small-group instruction and project-based opportunities so students can pursue creative, future-focused learning on campus.

For background: Ballard has been at Devon for 24 years and described the school as diverse and committed to daily lessons in kindness; Bullman is in his second year at the school and teaches third grade.