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Two personal recollections of events at Benjamin Franklin School Garden including garden plot plans, 1977Two accounts of the history of Benjamin Franklin School garden. The first, “Information on Ben Franklin Garden and School"--from title page, includes a compilation of personal accounts that recall the gardens at Benjamin Franklin School in Cleveland, Ohio from 1922 to 1977 and includes two examples of garden plots that included a note to parents and the cost of each plot. One of the plot plans also served as an order form. Note the information about converting to a metric system in the materials. This first recollection was written by three Cleveland Public School employees, Nicholas Paserk, Melissa Radish, and Kimberly Sante who worked at the garden in September, 1977. <br>The second recollection is in the form of a two page letter written at the same time in reply by Joe B. who was first employed by the Cleveland Public schools in 1921 as a student assistant. He recalls being assigned to work at the Benjamin Franklin school site as early as 1921-1922. In his letter he reviews and shares his recollections with the information presented in the first document based upon his first hand knowledge of the events.
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Letter and reply and paragraph for publication between Frederick McGourty, Jr., of the Brooklyn Botanical Garden from Peter Wotowiec, Supervisor, Horticulture Department, Cleveland Public Schools regarding the demise of the Cleveland [school garden] programLetter from Frederick McGourty, Jr., of the Brooklyn Botanical Garden to Peter Wotowiec, Supervisor, Horticulture Department, Cleveland Public Schools regarding the demise of the Cleveland [school garden] program. McGourty acknowledges Wotowiec's manuscript submission for "the Community Gardens Handbook" and expresses shock at the rumor of the demise of the Cleveland program, "especially because our own Children's Garden at BBG drew part of its inspiration many years ago from the Cleveland program." He asks about the present status of the program and requests a "box story" about the Cleveland program along with "a reminder that such programs are mortal." Wotowiec responds with a letter and the "box story:" "The school gardening program is currently endangered due to serious financial problems in the Cleveland Public Schools. Extensive local outcry and offers of support emerged at the news of the curtailment. It is hoped that continued receipt of statements from throughout the United States advocating re-evaluation of the decision will result in reinstatement of the program now in its 75th year." Cleveland Public Schools Horticulture Program, Cleveland, Ohio.
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Next Steps from a School Gardening Partnership Conference (AGES: Academic Gardening to Enrich our Students): Expanding the Impact of School Gardens Through Higher Education, K-12 School and Community CoalitionsResearch suggests that there are many benefits of school gardens for students, teachers and community. Not only can they help children eat more fruits and vegetables and be more physically active, they can help to create learning opportunities and increase teacher satisfaction. In Worcester, Massachusetts, a city with high poverty and food insecurity rates, a broad community coalition formed to brainstorm novel implementation models to improve the use and sustainability of school gardens. The group decided to foster new collaborations among higher education, K-12 schools and community organizations. The innovative idea was that higher education could meet their need for real-world application of various curricula, such as education, business, urban agriculture, marketing, horticulture, sustainable development, and engineering, through the implementation of school gardens. The resulting conference called AGES (Academic Gardening to Enrich our Students) united school teachers, professors, administration and community partners. The sessions featured information on: 1) successful models of higher education-K12 school garden partnerships, 2) building school gardening into the curriculum (psychosocial skills, STEM, environmental sciences, project-based learning, nutrition, healthy lifestyles), 3) research evidence on the benefits of school gardens, 4) strategies for building community through gardening, and 5) garden planning and maintenance. US Representative Jim McGovern was the keynote speaker, highlighting the importance of this collaborative work.