Ciara Byrne

GREEN OUR PLANET: GROW Together

Education EN ↓ 3 episodes

We connect people to the planet and each other. By teaching students, coworkers and families how to grow a garden we ignite the human spirit and transform communities.

Author

Ciara Byrne

Episodes

Building Career Pathways: Internships, Equity, and a Grow Your Own Teacher Pipeline with Ian Smith 04.03.2026 44:10

In this episode of GREEN OUR PLANET: GROW Together, host Ciara Byrne sits down with Ian Smith, Director for High School Instruction at Community Unit School District 200 in Illinois. Ian oversees academics across Wheaton North and Wheaton Warrenville South, and he’s helped build some of the most practical, student-centered systems for engagement: real career pathways, real work-based learning, and...

Gardens, Grit, and Growth: The Secret to Schoolwide Engagement 04.03.2026 34:39

In this episode of GREEN OUR PLANET: GROW Together, host Ciara Byrne welcomes Dr. Gordon Amerson, Superintendent of Schools at Val Verde Unified in Riverside County, California. Dr. Amerson shares how Val Verde is tackling teacher burnout and student disengagement by making learning feel alive again, through a district wide commitment to gardens, hydroponics, agriculture pathways, and student cent...

Community Connected Learning Meets AI: Jennifer Mazza on Future Ready STEM and Sustainability 21.01.2026 41:06

In this episode of GREEN OUR PLANET: GROW Together, host Ciara Byrne, Co-Founder and CEO of Green Our Planet, sits down with Jennifer Mazza, Director of STEM and Instructional Technology at Clarkstown Central School District in Rockland County, New York. Jennifer shares how she’s helping classrooms stay deeply human while embracing emerging technology, using a model she calls Community Connected L...