School Garden

Jessica Murphy’s Opening Speech

Good evening, everyone. Thank you for being here. Before we cut this ribbon, I want to share why this little garden means so much to me.

When I first asked about creating a school garden, I could picture our children out here—little hands in the soil, asking questions, and getting excited about something they planted themselves. What I couldn’t picture was everything it would take to get to this moment. There were days I doubted myself. Days I wondered if a parent with a big idea could actually pull this off. But then someone would say yes. A teacher would bring their class. A volunteer would show up. Someone would donate something we needed. And I would have enough encouragement to take the next step.

So when I look around tonight, I see the people who helped me keep a promise to our kids.

To our principal, thank you for trusting me. You gave me the chance to turn something I cared deeply about into something our whole school could share. I will always be grateful for that, yes.

To our teachers, thank you for letting me be a small part of your students’ school days. You trusted me with their time, their curiosity, and their excitement. Hearing a child ask when they can come back to the garden is something I wish I could bottle up and keep forever.

To our PTO, our donors, and every person who carried something heavy, got their hands dirty, answered a message, or simply asked, “What do you need?”—please look around. You helped make this happen.

And to my family and friends, thank you for listening to every garden update, every worry, and every new idea. Thank you for believing in me on the days I needed to borrow a little of your confidence.

Someday, these children will be bigger. They’ll leave Empire Oaks and move on to new classrooms, new friends, and lives we can only begin to imagine. They may forget what we planted. They may forget the lesson I tried to teach. But I hope they remember how it felt to be here. I hope they remember that someone made room for them to explore. That their questions mattered. That something small they planted was worth coming back to care for. And someday, when something in their own life feels difficult or slow, I hope a little piece of this stays with them: growth takes time. You can do everything you know how to do and still have to wait. And sometimes, you need other people to help you along.

To our students: I hope you come through this gate and feel that you belong here. I hope you proudly show your families what you planted. And I hope you know how many people cared enough about you to help create this place.

Getting to stand here tonight means more to me than I can quite put into words.

Thank you for saying yes. Thank you for showing up. And thank you for helping me give our children something they can watch grow.

With a very full heart, let’s open the Empire Oaks School Garden.