Caleb Lankford
The Greenville Garden Project
Master of Science in Natural Sciences – Biology and Physical Science
Graduated, Fall 2024
Greenville, Mississippi
If you need Caleb, you can most likely find him outside. A firm believer in the transformative power of nature, Caleb is passionate about the ways the natural world intersects with our daily lives—especially in how young people experience and value it. He believes that access to green spaces and hands-on science education are essential for cultivating environmental stewardship in the next generation.
Originally from Midlothian, VA, Caleb moved to the Mississippi Delta after earning his Bachelor’s degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, IL. He began his teaching career at Greenville High School, where over five years he taught a wide range of science courses including Zoology, Genetics, Botany, Marine & Aquatic Science, Anatomy & Physiology, and AP Environmental Science.
Project Feature: The Greenville Garden Project
Caleb’s Social Entrepreneurship project, The Greenville Garden Project, is rooted in a simple but powerful goal: to increase student access to outdoor learning spaces. By building school gardens at Weddington Elementary and Greenville High School, Caleb created not only new places for exploration and growth but also built opportunities for teachers to integrate garden-based science curriculum into everyday instruction.
The project emerged from a deeply personal realization during his time teaching AP Environmental Science—his students were learning about ecosystems and sustainability without ever stepping foot in a green space. Despite a grant awarded to the high school in 2020, the onset of the pandemic stalled any efforts toward installing a garden. Years later, the TFA Graduate Fellowship gave Caleb the space and support to finally bring this vision to life.
Project Highlights:
Greenville High School: Built an 8-bed vegetable garden maintained by a student-led Garden Club with 14 active members and up to 27 student volunteers.
Weddington Elementary School: Transformed an unused courtyard into a vibrant learning space, featuring wildflower beds and a colorful mural.
Community Impact: Teacher professional development at GHS reached 50+ educators serving ~850 students; Weddington’s courtyard serves ~250 elementary students.
Funding Secured: $3,000 from the TFA Fellowship and $1,800 from the Greenville Public School District.
Expanded Reach: In 2025, Agriculture Science teacher Kayla Williams adopted the garden and integrated it into her curriculum, ensuring sustainability and future growth.
Biggest Lessons & Takeaways:
Through this journey, Caleb learned to embrace flexibility and celebrate small victories. Facing delays, inconsistent club attendance, and the realities of teacher buy-in, he leaned on collaborators and his mentor, Tessa Zimmerman, to persist. His most meaningful takeaway? Watching students touch and smell freshly planted herbs, proudly explaining the experience to their families. Those moments affirmed that even if only a handful of students were deeply impacted, the project was a success.
What’s Next:
The future is rooted in sustainability. With Kayla Williams now overseeing garden operations and incorporating it into her Ag Science classroom, the project has become a model for long-term integration of outdoor learning in public schools. Expansion is already underway, with a new garden site planned at the VoTech school in the district.