The AegisOakland High School1023 MacArthur Blvd.Oakland, CA 94610-3965 East Bay Asian Youth Center2025 East 12th St.Oakland, CA 94606 Dear East Bay Asian Youth Center,

My name is Destiny Stewart and I’m a senior at Oakland High School. I’m writing

to ask for your organization’s support in helping further gardening at Oakland public schools.

Gardening is my passion and I tremendously appreciate the importance of health in this garden. Without our school garden, students in Oakland would forget the significance of eating in a healthy way, and keeping their bodies nourished.

It is imperative that we keep our school garden to decrease the amount of obesity in Oakland amongst our youth. For instance, according to Michelle Obama’s website at letsmove.org, one out of three adolescents in America is overweight and at risk of health issues such as diabetes, heart disease, and blood pressure. Factors that contribute to obesity are video games, television, and depression. Studies have shown that obesity is caused by a drop in exercise and teens having a “social life” using phones and videogames instead of a healthy one that offers them ways to keep fit. If we keep our garden, students will be working, sweating off calories, and having more physical activity.

Not only do we use our garden here at Oakland High for health purposes, but we also keep it in memory of Phillip Wright, one of our fellow classmates who was murdered in November of 2010. He loved gardening and planting.

We would love your help with our school garden. You can help us in three ways:○ Donating money to Oakland High so that we can purchase supplies such

as axes, rakes, picks, shovels and hoes;○ Showing up at our meetings and protests for support; the more support

and voices we have, the more our voices will be heard; ○ And checking on our progress every now and then by logging onto our

website, oaklandaegis.com, to check and see if we need help.

Sincerely, Destiny Stewart

The AegisOakland High School1023 MacArthur BoulevardOakland, CA 94610-3965 Wildcats Alumni AssociationP.O. Box 11436Oakland, CA 94611 Dear Wildcats Alumni Association,

I'm a sophomore at Oakland High School. Our garden at Oakland High School is new, and it needs support. In the past, it has been endangered by parking-lot expansion plans. I am writing to you today to ask you as alumni of Oakland High to contribute the work of your hands as well as the money in your wallet.

Gardens are a good way for students to learn. Some of the educational reasons to have a school garden are that it can connect with the math curriculum. For example, here at Oakland High, students learn geometry in the garden by measuring angles and circumferences. Also, the garden allows students to grow healthy foods and learn about nature, and that helps us learn about biology as well.

Here is our shopping list for the garden this year. Won’t you make a donation so that we can purchase what we need to help our garden grow?

● fertilizer● seeds ● lumber to build raised beds

If you can’t donate money, think about donating your time and effort:

● help us plant, weed, and maintain the garden● write letters of support for the garden to the Oakland High School administration● donate seedlings from your garden for us to plant in ours

If you have other ideas for how to support the garden, please contact our school garden teacher Ms. Wilder at amywilder7@gmail.com. Thank you, Wildcats Alumni Association! Sincerely, Gerquetta JacksonReporter, Oakland High Aegis

The AegisOakland High School1023 MacArthur BoulevardOakland, CA 94610-3965 East Oakland Boxing Association816 98th Ave.Oakland, CA 94603 Dear East Oakland Boxing Association,

I’m a sophomore and I am writing on behalf of Oakland High School to ask for your support.

Our school’s garden is having trouble; it is unclear whether or not it is going to continue. Students in OHS math classes work in the garden, and they learn a lot about the nature and the scientific effects of the environment. The problem is that there might not be a garden next year. We are truly affected by this matter, and I am asking if you can join me to fight this change from happening.

We understand that you have a garden of your own, and we would like to know if you would write a letter of support about how you feel your gardening program has benefited youth in your community. We are asking for your support in the letter, because your letter would show that we are not alone in our desire to provide Oakland youth with the access to gardening. We also feel that your letter would let us know that we have hope for gardening to continue. We are also getting letters from other organizations for support.

We’re fighting hard for our garden because we all know that it makes a difference in all students’ lives, just as it has for me and my peers. Keeping the garden, we feel, could benefit everyone because it is beneficial to know about our change in our environment, and it can also help build community building. Please reach into those pockets and support us!

There are two ways you can help. Financially, we need donations to help us purchase shovels, seeds, plants, and many of the other things that would keep our garden functioning. You can also help with your own time and effort; come to Oakland High and help weed/ water the plants, and dig for the best kind of treasure — healthy vegetables — in our school garden.

Thank you very much for your help and support. Sincerely, Leeosha NelsonReporter, Oakland High Aegis