Congratulations to 370K’s Margaret Negrelli for being awarded New York Agriculture in the Classroom Teacher of the Year! To read more about her work with the Garden Gladiators and Zero Waste Warriors at the Jim Thorpe School, check out the article here.
What is happening in your school garden? What are you planting? What are you cooking? How are you composting? What workshops are you going to? Send us an update about your garden with a photo or two and we will share it here! Don’t forget to check the Grow to Learn NYC calendar for upcoming events like seed, seedling, and insect giveaways- and much more.
Last Friday, we had a full day PD for teachers- all about composting! Here are some photos of Greg, our in-house Master Composter, leading the group at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden . Many thanks to BBG and the Master Composters for having us!
Check out this new film that profiles two of our PLG schools and their incredible stories. Here is the link to the film and a short blurb about it. Enjoy!
Plant, Learn, Grow is a profile of two schools in New York City located in “Food Deserts,” areas where it is difficult to find fresh, healthy produce. One school is located in the South Bronx, and one school in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. The students deal with more than lack of healthy food. They are challenged with intellectual, communication, and emotional issues. This is the story of the gardens they built, the food they grew, and the impact this rich harvest had on the students and their communities.
Last week, 811X held a two day Garden Event that included every class in the school. Students planted, watered, sifted compost, constructed hydroponic systems, designed signs, and created paintings and poetry inspired by nature. Outdoor classrooms were set-up for painting and arts, and musical performances had everyone dancing. For two days, the horticulture team turned the school into an interactive and fun outdoor learning space. It was awesome!
Congratulations to the 811X Horticulture team for their workshop on “Seed Harvesting in the Classroom” presented at the City Grower’s Education Conference on Saturday, February 27. They led an incredible workshop and represented D75 and Plant Learn Grow to the fullest!
Check out the amazing Stephen Ritz in this NPR segment called How a Great Teacher Cultivates Veggies (And Kids) in the Bronx. Go Steve!!
Last week, PLG visited NYC’s first Net Zero School, PS 62, The Kathleen Grimm School for Leadership and Sustainability at Sandy Ground. It was awesome! We saw bikes that generate power for the building, nearly 2,000 solar panels, and green technology used in lighting and classrooms that we have never seen before . The building even uses geothermal wells for heat and AC. In case you are wondering, “net zero” means that the school will produce as much energy as it uses. Big thanks to Principal Lisa Sarnicola for showing us around.
Plant Learn Grow would like to congratulate Mr. Ketler Louissaint on his new position as Superintendant IA for District 75. Mr. Louissaint has been a strong supporter of our schools’ gardening efforts for a long time. We hope he’s not too busy to plant with us again this spring!
Big things are happening at 133K, where our 369K students are involved in the construction of brand new beds for the spring. The former container garden is getting a hefty makeover. We can’t wait to see it in bloom.
d75plantlearngrow.com 