Oakland school's garden created by Curry foundation vandalized

Vandals destroyed part of an Oakland school's garden that Stephen and Ayesha Curry's foundation helped create less than two years ago, according to the Oakland Unified School District.

Staff at Global Family Elementary School on Monday found the damage to the garden, which included torn apart planters, a ripped out irrigation system, broken wooden benches, a damaged ladder and general disarray, the district said.

"It's going to take a lot of time, effort, and resources to repair the school's garden and return it to its previous pristine condition," OUSD said in news release Tuesday. "It's unfortunate that anyone would think that causing this kind of damage anywhere would be fun, funny, or a good idea. It only served to hurt the students and staff at the school."

For Global Family Elementary School Principal Juan Vaca, the garden is much more than just where plants live. It's also a place where education, development, and mental health are nurtured and grow.

"The garden means a lot to our students," Vaca said. "It’s a place where they come and they learn about what goes in the ground and basically what goes into their kitchen...It's more than just a garden. It’s a place where folks come for self-care."

The garden was created during campus renovations in the 2022-23 school year with help from Stephen and Ayesha Curry's Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation, KABOOM! and all their partners, the school district said.

The Global Family campus was not in session, so no students were exposed to the damage, the district said.

Repairs are expected to be completed before students return to school in August.

The district said it's less interested in punishing those responsible. Instead, officials believe there is a lesson for them to learn.

"This is not about punishment. This is about us wanting them to make better choices down the road and showing them that this is clearly not a good choice," school district spokesperson John Sasaki said. "This is only destructive."