Albuquerque Public Schools
Growing a Garden of Dreams
Polk Academy of Agricultural Science students plant 40 fruit trees as outdoor learning thrives at APS magnet pathway school.
At Polk Academy of Agricultural Science, middle school students don’t just learn about science and sustainability—they live it. As part of the Sustaining the Future Environmental STEM pathway, Polk is preparing students for success through hands-on learning.
The school’s vision was on full display during Outdoor Learning Week, when students, staff and community partners came together to plant 40 fruit trees in the school’s expanding outdoor learning space, transforming once-empty land into a vibrant orchard and living classroom.
“Our farm is called the Garden of Dreams, and this is a dream come true for us,” Polk Teacher Travis McKenzie said. “This is a celebration of so much effort and energy that people have put in, and you can see how beautiful it looks. This is the fruit of our labor, literally, and we hope to recreate this all across the state.”
Principal Ben Bustos said this growth has been years in the making, and community partners like La Agricultura Cooperative Network, La Cosecha and Ciudad Soil & Water Conservation District made this and future outdoor sustainability events possible. For this project in particular, Yellowstone Landscaping did the irrigation system for the new tree orchard, and the fruit trees were purchased via a grant from the U.S. Forest Service submitted by La Cosecha and Agricultura Network.
But for Bustos, the real story is the investment in students and community.
“This program gives kids a chance to connect with the land and see themselves as stewards of the environment,” he said. “It gives them responsibility, purpose and pride in what they’re creating.”
On a tour of the outdoor space, Bustos pointed to raised beds, irrigation lines, greenhouse structures and learning stations all built through creativity, teamwork and grants.
“Back here, it was an eyesore, nothing but dirt,” he explained. “But through small farmer grants, county grants, you name it, we've just braided funds from all over.”
Farm Fridays and a statewide vision
Every week, students dig in during Farm Fridays, where learning extends beyond classroom walls. McKenzie says these experiences are transformative.
“This is one of the biggest Farm Fridays in the history of our garden,” he said. “Our farm is 90% student-run, so they're prepping beds, planting, weeding, they're plant maintenance, harvesting, processing, and then eating, taking veggies home. It's all student-powered.”
McKenzie hopes one day students will see the food they grow served in the school cafeteria and beyond. But he said students aren’t just growing food, they're building knowledge, confidence and community.
“You can see it happening right in our hoop houses,” McKenzie said. “It brings the concepts to life, and we're focusing on environmental stewardship and cultural sustainability.”
McKenzie said Polk is proud to serve as the only middle school in APS's environmental stewardship magnet pathway alongside Pajarito and Mountain View elementaries and Rio Grande High.
And the recent orchard planting is only the beginning.
“We are in an urban forestry graph, where the bigger grant is going to be planting 1,500 trees over the next couple of years until 2029,” McKenzie said. “This is just the beginning, not just into a school farm, because we were already there, but also a training center and an outdoor learning showcase piece for APS.”
A growing future
Polk isn’t stopping here. Bustos shared a glimpse of what's ahead.
“Inside, we have an aquaponic and hydroponic system being developed. Then across the hallway, we have a maker space we’re setting up right now.”
With gardens, orchards, aquaponics, hydroponics, maker spaces and community partnerships, Polk Academy of Agricultural Science is cultivating more than crops. It's cultivating leaders, innovators and environmental stewards.
And as those 40 new fruit trees take root, so too does a vision for healthier communities, sustainable food systems and hands-on learning that lasts a lifetime.