Hopkins School @ Ivy Street Garden

Hopkins School: Seniors' Week of Service

 

Ever wonder what the best way to tackle a ton a laborious, but creative, gardening and building work might be? Senior high school students are one great way! We’ve certainly learned how much we can count on students and teachers from Hopkins School. They joined us for four full days, three of which were spent in the sun and heat at the Ivy Street Community Garden, and one indoors (mainly) at our office during some heavy rain. Committee members and resident gardeners for the Ivy Street Community Garden are so thankful to have had this energetic and hard working group to accomplish quite a list of tasks. 

One project involved making use of rubble and crushed foundation that was unearthed during the construction process for the greenhouse. After digging a 4’ wide by 60’ trench stretching from the eastern entrance of the greenhouse to where a shed will soon be located, large, medium and small stone were cleverly arranged and filled in with gravel to begin the creation of a pathway. And this was no easy task! It took a lot of hands and strength to move around some large pieces of concrete. 

Other accomplished tasks included more heavy lifting to build a stone wall along the Shelton Avenue side of the garden to establish a flower bed and allow for seating in the open and shaded green space of the garden. A lot of leaf raking was tackled along with much needed weeding and cutting down of overgrown tree branches. There was also planting of various vegetables in raised beds that fellow students worked to turn over the soil and add composting to. Furthermore, the garden’s neighbor, Ms. Ida Felder, received some helping hands to clear out leaves, dead plants and debris from her backyard. Whole sections the area were completely transformed by the end of the four days, all with the supervision and help of the gardeners. 

 

The most creative aspect of this service week involved the creation of garden sculptures. As a way to utilize plastic and metal materials that had also been found or dug out from the ground, such as pipes, rods, and broken gardening tools, students were asked to experiment with fittings and paint to create sculptures that could occupy a shaded portion of the garden. The students took to the task very well and came up with some truly captivating pieces. Great job, everyone!