Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School’s Environmental Club, led by James Travis and Daniel Barresi, as well as a branch of the S.O.U.L. (the Student Organization of Unified Leaders) began work on an organic garden this past October. Nicknamed the “Tree Huggers,” the club started out with small projects such as planting trees on Earth Day and implementing recycling programs for the school. The club acts essentially as a mentoring program, concentrating on providing a model for academic success by appealing to student interests. This year, the students decided they wanted to do something larger, which resulted in the building of this new organic garden.
Initial funding for the garden came from teacher donations and S.O.U.L. before the district received three grants for the club, including a $4,000 grant from the Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE). In addition to the funds, the CCE provides two farming experts who visit with the students on a monthly basis to teach the club everything from the basics of square foot farming to organic planting techniques. Additional grants included a tiller from Mantis, which has helped the club with the maintenance of the farm, and Lowes, which has provided the club with a $5,000 “Lowes Toolbox” grant.“The Environmental Club uses a ‘project based learning’ approach, meaning the learning starts in the classroom with formal academic lessons, followed by students venturing outside and implementing what they learned,” remarked Mr. Travis. “The club has done this for every topic from framing the beds to planting seeds.”
The garden is currently producing an array of vegetables including peas, garlic, lettuce, broccoli, Swiss chard, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and cabbage. As nutrition is a major concern in the district, with this garden the club hopes to not only teach students about organic farming, but also to nurture their physical well-being. Having these goals in mind, Mr. Travis says he would like to expand the program to the middle school and the elementary schools in the future.
As for maintenance of the garden over the summer months, Mr. Travis and Mr. Barresi will be tending to the garden once a week. Several student and teacher volunteers have signed up for various days of the week to check on the garden as well. Mr. Travis noted how the garden has tremendous support from not only teachers, but other staff as well, including secretaries, security guards, and special education classes. This project has truly becoming a “Community” Garden!
Additionally, due to his work with the garden, Mr. Travis was recognized by the Tobacco Action Coalition of Long Island. The annual recognition event honors local leaders across all health and human service systems who serve as role models in tobacco control and other aspects of wellness.
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