From a Seed to a Pumpkin Patch
Garden Stewards Keep a Senior Project Growing
The next time you walk through the garden at our Southwest Parkway campus, take a look at the back bed. This fall and winter, Upper School physics teacher Quinlin Sandefer expects to see it full of miniature pumpkins.
It all started as a seed germination project. Sandefer challenged his students to grow a pumpkin seed and see how big it could get, with the longest vine at the end of four weeks taking the win. How they grew it was up to the students, so some planted in the ground, some used a plastic bag, some tried fertilizer, and others stuck with plain dirt. Seeds could stay in the classroom or go home with their growers.
The students’ use of fertilizer turned out to be a lesson in itself. Many used it right away, which can kill a seedling before it’s established, and Sandefer had planned it that way. “I put the bag of fertilizer in the students’ view on purpose, because part of the project is researching and learning through trial and error,” he said.
Students measured their vines every day, and the top five earned a shoutout in chapel. Sandefer believes the competition made all the difference. “Winning the competition gave them an incentive, not just a project to work through,” he said.
Two-thirds of the seedlings lived to the end of the project, compared to the usual one in four. Sandefer credits “students that really cared,” and said the final presentations showed that the students had fun while learning to care for a seed.
The surviving plants were transferred into the garden beds cared for by student Garden Stewards, a RISE block class that meets weekly. RISE is a signature part of the Upper School experience, giving students dedicated time in their schedules to pursue interests inside and outside the curriculum, grounded in St. Andrew’s mission to develop Scholars, Artists, Athletes, and Servants. Students choose from four RISE block categories: Research, Independent Study and Innovation; Stewardship; SAS Fitness, Dance, or Yoga; and Exploratory.
Five stewards helped plant the pumpkins at the back of the garden to protect them from sun exposure. After a rainy weekend, the plants took off, and none have withered yet.
The garden itself has a story, too. In 2025, alum Luke McGrath ‘25 designed the garden beds for his senior project, and after Luke graduated, Sandefer volunteered to care for it alongside the stewards. Every plant Luke put in the ground is still alive, and the work has since grown to other beds, including the flowers outside of Founders Hall and the Spanish office.
This fall, the stewards tend the gardens each time they meet. They recently laid fresh mulch in the main beds and weeded; a week ago, they planted poppies, columbines, and wildflowers to complement the existing plants. Dragonflies and butterflies visit the blooms, and the garden has a healthy bee population.
So the next time you walk past the back bed, look closely. The vines in the garden started as seeds in a biology classroom, survived plenty of trial and error, and found a home with the Garden Stewards. Whether they turn out to be minis or full-size, they’re on track to be ready just in time for the holiday season.
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It all started as a seed germination project. Sandefer challenged his students to grow a pumpkin seed and see how big it could get, with the longest vine at the end of four weeks taking the win. How they grew it was up to the students, so some planted in the ground, some used a plastic bag, some tried fertilizer, and others stuck with plain dirt. Seeds could stay in the classroom or go home with their growers.
The students’ use of fertilizer turned out to be a lesson in itself. Many used it right away, which can kill a seedling before it’s established, and Sandefer had planned it that way. “I put the bag of fertilizer in the students’ view on purpose, because part of the project is researching and learning through trial and error,” he said.
Students measured their vines every day, and the top five earned a shoutout in chapel. Sandefer believes the competition made all the difference. “Winning the competition gave them an incentive, not just a project to work through,” he said.
Two-thirds of the seedlings lived to the end of the project, compared to the usual one in four. Sandefer credits “students that really cared,” and said the final presentations showed that the students had fun while learning to care for a seed.
The surviving plants were transferred into the garden beds cared for by student Garden Stewards, a RISE block class that meets weekly. RISE is a signature part of the Upper School experience, giving students dedicated time in their schedules to pursue interests inside and outside the curriculum, grounded in St. Andrew’s mission to develop Scholars, Artists, Athletes, and Servants. Students choose from four RISE block categories: Research, Independent Study and Innovation; Stewardship; SAS Fitness, Dance, or Yoga; and Exploratory.
Five stewards helped plant the pumpkins at the back of the garden to protect them from sun exposure. After a rainy weekend, the plants took off, and none have withered yet.
The garden itself has a story, too. In 2025, alum Luke McGrath ‘25 designed the garden beds for his senior project, and after Luke graduated, Sandefer volunteered to care for it alongside the stewards. Every plant Luke put in the ground is still alive, and the work has since grown to other beds, including the flowers outside of Founders Hall and the Spanish office.
This fall, the stewards tend the gardens each time they meet. They recently laid fresh mulch in the main beds and weeded; a week ago, they planted poppies, columbines, and wildflowers to complement the existing plants. Dragonflies and butterflies visit the blooms, and the garden has a healthy bee population.
So the next time you walk past the back bed, look closely. The vines in the garden started as seeds in a biology classroom, survived plenty of trial and error, and found a home with the Garden Stewards. Whether they turn out to be minis or full-size, they’re on track to be ready just in time for the holiday season.
