Audubon Society: Bird- and Butterfly-Friendly School Garden
On 10/8/15, The Highlandtown #237 Green Team successfully completed a bird and butterfly-friendly Garden, in partnership with the Patterson Park Audubon Society. On this day, 16 students took part in the planting (8 fourth graders, 6 fifth graders, and 2 third graders).
This garden is situated on the side of the building, next to the pre-existing raised garden beds, and is filled with black-eyed Susan flowers, blueberry bushes, goldenrods, and other flowering plants native to Maryland. This planting day required the students to work together for 3.5 hours (from 2:45-6:15), and provided a great opportunity for the students to get their hands dirty, learn about native plants, and beautify their school campus at the same time. Leading up to this planting day, the students participated in two preparatory sessions with a teacher from Patterson Park Audubon, during which they learned about the migratory patterns of birds, about the importance of maintaining bird-friendly habitats in cities, and helped to prepare the space for the garden (digging up grass and turning over the soil).
This garden is situated on the side of the building, next to the pre-existing raised garden beds, and is filled with black-eyed Susan flowers, blueberry bushes, goldenrods, and other flowering plants native to Maryland. This planting day required the students to work together for 3.5 hours (from 2:45-6:15), and provided a great opportunity for the students to get their hands dirty, learn about native plants, and beautify their school campus at the same time. Leading up to this planting day, the students participated in two preparatory sessions with a teacher from Patterson Park Audubon, during which they learned about the migratory patterns of birds, about the importance of maintaining bird-friendly habitats in cities, and helped to prepare the space for the garden (digging up grass and turning over the soil).
Baltimore Orchard Project: Fruit and Nut Tree Planting
In an effort to restore a small portion of the tree canopy in Highlandtown, as well as to give our students a school orchard to cultivate and care for, staff at #237 have reached out to the Baltimore Orchard Project (BOP) to take part in a two-part planting:
1.) In May 2016, the Green Team will assist staff from BOP to install a small group of 6 initial trees along the side of the school building, with the intention of adding another element to the western side of the existing school garden space, while also introducing students, families and staff to the practice of caring for a small orchard; initial planning emails are included below.
2.) As part of a larger effort to safeguard the school's green space, the Community School Coordinator at #237 has submitted a request to the Neighborhood Design Center for a schoolyard master plan. Under the current 21st Century School Construction plan, #237 is slated for expansion, with construction beginning in 2018. It is our hope that we can make a case--using the schoolyard master plan--for the importance of safeguarding the current green space, as it is the only large green area in Highlandtown east of Patterson Park. Once our school community determines how much of our space is available for use, we hope to plant a larger orchard at the rear of the schoolyard with a larger variety of trees.
1.) In May 2016, the Green Team will assist staff from BOP to install a small group of 6 initial trees along the side of the school building, with the intention of adding another element to the western side of the existing school garden space, while also introducing students, families and staff to the practice of caring for a small orchard; initial planning emails are included below.
2.) As part of a larger effort to safeguard the school's green space, the Community School Coordinator at #237 has submitted a request to the Neighborhood Design Center for a schoolyard master plan. Under the current 21st Century School Construction plan, #237 is slated for expansion, with construction beginning in 2018. It is our hope that we can make a case--using the schoolyard master plan--for the importance of safeguarding the current green space, as it is the only large green area in Highlandtown east of Patterson Park. Once our school community determines how much of our space is available for use, we hope to plant a larger orchard at the rear of the schoolyard with a larger variety of trees.