Loyola families, students and staff enjoy a picnic on the school grounds while Ye Olde Towne Band plays.

The Loyola Elementary School community dedicated its secret garden at a back-to-school picnic last week.

Karen Jones coordinated the picnic and the garden dedication.

The garden, started years ago by Marilyn Horner and Jenny Taylor, has been an important part of campus life and the site of plays, readings and luncheons. After it was damaged during the renovation of the school, the PTA raised more than $20,000 to revitalize it.

Students and their families contributed to the project both monetarily and aesthetically last year by decorating tiles for the garden wall.

During last week’s festivities, attended by the Los Altos School District’s new superintendent, Tim Justus, parents honored last year’s PTA president, Dayna Deaton, and Loyola’s principal, Linda Eckols. The PTA plans to plant a maple tree in Deaton’s honor. The group dedicated the arbor at the entrance to the garden to Eckols.