Tuesday, June 07, 2011

 

During the spring and summer months of 2010 students at H. A. Brown Elementary School oversaw the transformation of a derelict lot across from their school into a beautiful garden. Through an ongoing service-learning project with the Philadelphia OIC Out-of-School Time Program, NKCDC and Delaware Valley Earth Force, students at Brown became stewards of the garden at Sergeant and Jasper Streets.



The corner lot, which was once a garden not long ago, had fallen into disrepair. Trash and weeds had taken over, creating an eyesore for the  community. Brown students celebrated Earth Day this year by planting vegetables and perennials in newly created raised beds. “It was neat to see their faces when they dissected seeds and realized there was a little plant inside that would grow,” says Zoe Lloyd, NKCDC Vista Volunteer. Over the following weeks students also painted a mural and anti-litter signs and made a rock garden. Throughout the project students learned about the  environment, horticulture and where our food comes from.





“Turning an empty lot into a community treasure was really our theme for this project,” says Aisha Dennis of Philadelphia OIC. “With all the hands-on work these kids did, I really think that is exactly what they made here.”  A special Garden Party took place at H.A. Brown on June 3rd, where students performed a “Grow Green” skit they created in celebration of their new garden. With school out for the summer, community members and students from the neighborhood tended the garden until students returned in the fall. 



This project has been made possible by support of Woods Brothers, the NKCDC Garden Center, Memphis Taproom, Bella Sera and Quick Stop.