Harriet Tubman School Spring Garden Festival Showcases New Outdoor Classroom

Students from the Harriet Tubman School in Newark’s Central Ward will find their outdoor classroom more comfortable and convenient with the addition of new desk benches constructed by students from the Newark Leadership Academy. On Wednesday, June 11th, the community is invited to a Spring Festival at the Living Lab Garden on South 10th Street from 10:00 a.m. till 4:00 p.m. Student-led tours, garden produce tastings, scavenger hunts and other garden activities will be part of the day’s celebration.

The garden’s origins date back more than 20 years, but much needed renovations were launched in 2011 under the direction of Greater Newark Conservancy Education Program Coordinator Sarah O’Leary. Grants from the Slow Food Northern New Jersey Foundation and the Whole Kids Foundation helped provide tools and other gardening equipment. The Conservancy’s Community Greening Department constructed 8 wooden, raised beds and delivered truckloads of compost-rich topsoil to help get the garden growing. A recent grant from Lowe’s Toolbox for Education program provided the funds needed to purchase materials for the new desk benches and teaching pavilion.

A total of 35 students from three classes at Newark Leadership Academy handled the construction, helped with installation and contributed to garden clean up under the direction of teacher Tom Tiseo. Newark Leadership Academy is an alternative vocational high school that serves over-aged, under-credited 16 to 20 year-old youth and young adults.

“Our students are required to take a course called ‘Foundations of Construction’ as part of their Career & Technical Education curriculum,” Tiseo noted. “Building the desk benches and supporting the garden was a great way to bring the course to life and be a part of this community effort.” 

One of the students who contributed to the project, 17-year old Viamari Boyd, said she knew nothing about tools when she started, but preferred to be hands-on doing things instead of sitting in a classroom and didn’t even realize she was learning the fundamentals of architecture. “I’d like to design a school that looks like an open book,” she stated. 

The Conservancy’s O’Leary said the new desk benches make the garden more accessible and functional for the community. “From writing projects to food preparation and gardening tasks, the desktops make learning easier and more comfortable, and we appreciate the support of Lowe’s, Newark Leadership Academy and the garden’s other sponsors,” she concluded. 

Pre-K to Grade 6 students participate in a multi-faceted environmental curriculum provided by the Conservancy, learning about the ecosystem, soil ecology and the water cycle.  In early spring, the students started seeds under lights in their science lab, and planted those seeds for a terrific early spring crop of kale, spinach, peas and other vegetables from the garden. 

Working together with the school’s educators, students and their families, the Conservancy has helped incorporate urban farming into the curriculum, emphasizing the importance of a green and healthy environment. This fall this ongoing project of changing a vacant lot into a green and inviting place to explore and learn will be supported with placement of a new FoodCorps intern allowing expanded garden and nutrition programming. 

For more information about Greater Newark Conservancy’s educational and other programs and services, volunteer opportunities or to make a contribution, visit citybloom.org or contact the Conservancy at 973-642-4646. You can also follow news from the Conservancy through social media at Facebook.com/GreaterNewarkConservancy and Twitter at @Citybloom87.