The Problem
Garden Guerillas:
Our group wishes to plant a tasting garden that will allow us to witness plant growth from seed to table. Students will learn about different types of herbs, leafy greens and vegetables, and pick out healthy recipes to make back in the classroom. Students in this group will act as experts and teach other classes how to maintain the space. The hope is to use the garden space as an extension of the classroom and encourage students to try new foods and promote healthy eating habits.
Our Plan
The student population of PS 376 lives in a low socio-economic neighborhood in Bushwick, Brooklyn. More than 92% of the population receives free school lunch, and face the challenge of speaking English as a second language in school. Their urban neighborhood is rich in buildings and projects, and poor in parks and green spaces. Our school building is adjacent to an elevated subway platform and has a small, asphalt outdoor yard in the shadow of this subway. Further, as a “Schoolyards to Playgrounds” school, the small yard space is constantly utilized during the school day, after school, and on the weekends as a play area for basketball and other outdoor sports. This function is vital to the health and wellbeing of the community and should continue to be used as such. Consequently, the opportunity to interact with the living environment is very limited, and the ability to plant outdoors does not exist on school grounds.
Our Garden Guerillas have already mapped out any existing opportunities to plant on school grounds, and we have mapped out the space of the community garden across the street from school. The school just recently gained access to the space, and so this group will spearhead efforts to plan, build and plant 4 raised beds in the garden. Students will also select seeds to plant, research how to plant them correctly, and maintain the space to the end of the school year. Finally, students will teach others how to plant and lead efforts to make healthy dishes back in the classroom.
