Here We Grow Again: Cultivating Staff Belonging Through a Low-Cost Community Garden
Date: 7/22/2026
Time: 9:45 - 10:55 AM
Room: Grand Ballroom A & B (Floor 1)
Gold Mine Roundtable - A live mini-session on a program/best practice topic, with time for Q&A, presented at a table for 8-10 people during three 20-minute rounds. A one- to two-page tip sheet on the presentation topic is required.
ENGAGEMENT–Internal/external stakeholder engagement
Session Description
In a post-pandemic landscape of "quiet quitting" and declining staff connection, how can districts rebuild authentic belonging?. This session shares the story of the South Carolina School Boards Association’s community garden—a project that spent less than $1,500 to achieve a 37% increase in staff workplace belonging. Attendees will learn how to move beyond one-day team-building events to create a sustainable culture of invitation which improves morale and fosters cross-departmental collaboration.
Presenter(s)
Angela Crosland
Director of Communications
The South Carolina School Boards Association
Angela Crosland, M.Ed., APR, is the director of Communications for the South Carolina School Boards Association (SCSBA), a statewide education association serving 71 school districts. With nearly three decades of experience in strategic communications, stakeholder engagement and organizational leadership, she leads SCSBA’s communications strategy across internal engagement, external relations, publications, digital platforms and statewide initiatives which model best practices for public education organizations.
Crosland is the architect of "Here We Grow Again: Cultivating Connection and Well-Being Through Employee Engagement," an internal communications initiative which is transforming a simple community garden into a sustainable, high-impact model for employee engagement, workplace belonging and corporate citizenship. Grounded in research and guided by the RPIE framework, her work emphasizes authentic connection, fiscal stewardship and measurable outcomes. Crosland is an Accredited in Public Relations (APR) professional and an experienced presenter and facilitator. She is passionate about helping education communicators design people-centered initiatives which strengthen organizations from the inside out. LinkedIn Profile
Here We Grow Again: Cultivating Staff Belonging Through a Low-Cost Community Garden
Category
Gold Mine Roundtable - Mini table session on a program/best practice topic, with time for Q&A. 20 minutes (three rounds).