Gateway Greening Miscellaneous Archives - Page 2 of 3

Greening the STL Map Room

Posted on March 31, 2017 by sara

Gateway Greening staff members worked with STL Map Room Site Coordinator Emily Catedral to mark current St. Louis LRA locations as part of their contribution to the STL Map Room project.

This week the Gateway Greening staff found a new way to highlight school & community gardens throughout St. Louis City – by teaming up with the STL Map Room project!

STL Map Room is a collaborative project between COCA (Center of Creative Arts) and The Office for Creative Research. On March 3, the partnership took over the shuttered Stevens Middle School in St. Louis, MO to create the St. Louis Map Room: a community space for creating and exploring original, interpretive maps of the city that reflect the personal stories and lived experiences of its residents.

Gateway Greening Youth Educator Meg Holmes marking school garden locations throughout St. Louis City.

Last Thursday several Gateway Greening staff members spent the morning working with Emily Catedral of the STL Map Room to create a 10’x10’ canvas map of St. Louis City which our experience as urban agriculture advocates in the city.

It was a powerful experience as Catedral worked with staff to pull up a range of map data dating back to as early as the late 1800s and covering a range of topics: public transportation, residential and industrial zoning, racial distribution, public income and healthcare census records, and more. By adding a selection of school and community gardens throughout the city and projecting historical map data over top, it didn’t take long to observe how the locations of currently existing community gardens often correlated to St. Louis City’s zoning and financial policy decisions made as far back as the early 1900s.

After a great deal of debate and discussion, our staff narrowed down the list of possible data points that could be included to focus on current LRA land distribution, existing public green spaces, and a selection of school and community gardens throughout the city. The Gateway Greening map has joined others created by schools, non-profits, and the general public from around St. Louis and will be on display at the Stevens Middle School until April 9, 2017. Afterwards, the maps will be displayed in various locations throughout St. Louis for an undefined amount of time before being added to the City Archives.

Gateway Greening’s contribution to the STL Map Room project, highlighting many of St. Louis City’s school & community gardens, public green spaces, and LRA land.

Discover more about this fascinating project by visiting the STL Map Room website, or find out how you can participating by contacting Emily Catedral at [email protected].

Farm Manager Rachel Deffenbaugh says Farewell

Posted on February 24, 2017 by sara

Gateway Greening Urban Farm Manager Rachel Deffenbaugh, teaching harvesting techniques to City Seeds Therapeutic Job Training ’16 clients. Photo Credit Deer Hart Photography.

Dear Gateway Greening Community,

It has been my sincere pleasure to work with you for the last 6+ years. I started as an AmeriCorps VISTA with Gateway Greening in 2010 and in 2011 I became the Farm Manager for the Gateway Greening Urban Farm. I have grown and evolved, along with the scope of my position. As of February 27th 2017, I am transitioning to manage the Therapeutic Horticulture program at the Missouri Botanical Garden.

This change is bittersweet for me. I am excited for the new opportunities and challenges that will be afforded to me at the Missouri Botanical Garden. However, Gateway Greening has been a formative and inspirational place to work. It will always hold a place in my heart and I hope to maintain a strong relationship with the organization and the people involved.

Genuinely, thank you for making my time with Gateway Greening a valuable and impactful experience.

Sincerely,

Rachel Deffenbaugh

Perennials in the Fall Garden

Posted on October 25, 2016 by sara

When it comes to gardening, it’s a well known fact that every gardener has their own way of doing things – and that’s okay! But it does mean that sometimes experienced gardeners send conflicting messages to newcomers about when, and how, to approach seasonal tasks in the garden. This October we’re looking at perennials in fall: what they are, how they behave, and different reasons gardeners may choose to cut cut back their perennial plants in now, or wait till spring.

What is a Perennial?

Perennials are plants that come back year after year, producing new stems, leaves and flowers each growing season only for the above ground portions to die back during the winter months. Daylilies, peonies, purple coneflower and hostas are all examples of perennial plants commonly found in St. Louis gardens.

When Should I Cut Back my Perennials?

The first rule of fall garden clean-ups: unless something is seriously diseased, wait for it to starting dying back before you cut back! The cooler temperatures of fall signal to trees, shrubs and perennials to begin preparing for winter, starting by storing up food and energy. Many plants will actually start this process by pulling nutrients out of their leaves and stems, moving them down into their root system to be used as fuel throughout the winter. This is what causes our plants to “dieback” in stages over a period of weeks each fall. By waiting until plants have died back to clear them from the garden, gardeners are ensuring a stronger, healthier plant will return next spring.

Best Practice for Cutting Back Perennials:

Although there will always be exceptions, most perennials do best when gardeners cut them back to approximately 1 inch above soil level, and remove the dead plant material from the area. This prevents gardeners from accidentally damaging shallow roots while cutting and the remaining stems also serve as “I am here!” markers for anyone mulching, digging, or planning to add plants to existing beds in the following year.

Not sure if you should cut back a specific plant? Swing by your local garden center to ask about best practices in your neighborhood, or send us your questions at [email protected]!

3 Reasons to Cut Back Perennials in Fall:

Reduce Problems with Pests & Diseases Next Year

It’s a well known fact that the biggest challenge in gardening isn’t necessarily getting things to grow. Sometimes, it’s all a gardener can do to prevent pests and diseases from hijacking the harvest! Despite not being food crops (usually) ornamental perennial plants are still susceptible to a range of diseases, insects, and other pests that can leave plants looking lackluster or downright unhealthy by the end of the year. By cutting back and removing dead leaves and stems, gardeners can encourage healthy new growth the following spring without the risk over overwintering a garden menace.

Drop by the University of Missouri Extension to learn more about preventing disease in the garden.

Tip: Bare soil often becomes compacted and loses much of it’s surface nutrients as winter snows and rains leach them away. To protect your soil, cover bare areas with a 3-4 inch layer of compost or plant a cover crop such as annual rye grass in fall.

Maintain Plant Size

Some perennials (and many ornamental shrubs) can grow to impressive sizes over the course of a single summer – and keep growing the following year. Prevent plants from outgrowing their space by cutting them back during the fall when there’s less risk of shock or attracting pests!

A Tidy Appearance

Gardens bursting with crops and stunning flower displays in summer give way to withered stalks and wilted leaves in fall – something that isn’t always appreciated by the neighbors. If your garden is in a public or highly visible space, consider cutting back perennial plants as they die back to keep your garden looking well-maintained and cared for to earn a little good will from the neighborhood.

Looking for a way to keep things looking tidy without cutting back everything? Try removing a few things at a time, then stepping back to check the overall effect. We recommend starting with peonies, daylilies and hostas while leaving hydrangeas and coneflowers for last. For best results, cut back to 1 inch above the soil level.

3 Reasons to Leave Perennials Standing in Fall:

A tidy garden may be aesthetically pleasing to the surrounding neighbors, but there are several benefits to leaving dead stalks and leaves in the garden over winter.

Winter Shelter for Local Wildlife

One of the downsides of living in an urban environment is the lack of habitat for local wildlife, and this can be especially challenging during the winter when small animals are most in need of shelter from wind and predators. For gardeners aiming to encourage and support local wildlife populations, waiting to cut back perennials until spring can provide additional cover and shelter.

Looking for a good reference to building a wildlife-friendly garden habitat? Check out this excellent guide by Penn State Extension Service.

Winter Food Source for Local Wildlife

Thanks to the Grow Native campaign, more and more of the perennials we see around St. Louis community gardens are actually native plants, such as purple coneflower, and they provide more than colorful seasonal interest. Many native species also serve as a valuable food source for local wildlife throughout the winter months – if you leave the dried seedheads and berries intact. Black-eyed Susans, purple coneflowers, and sunflowers are some of the most common plants we find in gardens that we recommend letting stand.

Looking for ways to add natural food sources to the garden? Stop by the National Wildlife Federation and the Missouri Botanical Gardens to learn more.

Winter Interest

Winter is a beautiful season in its own right, but by the time January rolls around the lack of visual interest found in many modern landscapes can leave gardeners feeling dull. Give your garden a bit of visual interest this winter by leaving perennials with interesting architecture or colorful stems and berries standing until late winter/early spring.

Stop by the Gateway Gardener for a little winter interest inspiration.

The Takeaway

At the end of the day, there’s pros and cons to cutting back perennials at any time of year, meaning it’s up to each individual gardener to decide what is the right time and method for their garden – there’s no right or wrong way!

Volunteer Impact in STL

Posted on October 3, 2016 by sara

AMEN Mission group volunteering at The Gateway Greening Urban Farm

Thanks to our Volunteers! We’ve had a successful summer!

Summer is nearly over, but that’s okay because it has been a successful one thanks to all of our generous volunteers! As of August 13th, we’ve had the pleasure of working with 2582 group volunteers and 152 individual volunteers in 2016. That makes a total of over 11,900 volunteer service hours supporting St. Louis Garden projects! This diverse volunteer core represents the educational, corporate, faith-based, non-profit sectors and more! Thank you for serving your community. We’d like to highlight a few groups to showcase their impact at Gateway Greening and across St. Louis neighborhoods.

AMEN at The Gateway Greening Urban Farm.

YouthWorks on the Farm

AMEN St. Louis embraces the neighborhood around them by providing mission opportunities with local organizations. AMEN volunteers have spent time just about everywhere for Gateway Greening. From Gateway Greening’s Urban Farm to several of the community gardens, AMEN St. Louis’ work with us is greatly appreciated.

“AMEN St. Louis is a ministry of Oak Hill Presbyterian Church on the south side of St. Louis City. We host youth, adult and intergenerational mission teams from around the country. Part of our mission is to provide volunteers to various non-profits, ministries and missions throughout the St. Louis area. A week would not be complete without a day spent at a Gateway Greening Community Garden or the City Seeds Urban Farm. Our groups enjoy a bit of St. Louis summer weather while building relationships with community volunteers, Gateway Greening Staff, and each other. Helping to grow healthy food for the St. Louis community is an added bonus. We appreciate the partnership we’ve developed with Gateway Greening. ” – Donna Cook

Volunteer Day at Clay Elementary School Garden

On July 16th, Rise STL’s Rise Young Professionals Board, The Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis Young Lawyers Association, and LinkStL came to help at Clay Elementary’s Cougar School Garden in Hyde Park. Through their help, the Cougar School Garden has been revitalized and will continue to be a source of learning for all children in the community! We reached out to one these amazing organizations to hear what they had to say about volunteering:

“The Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis (BAMSL) has a proud tradition of community engagement and service to others, and the community gardening and engagement initiative at Clay Elementary is the latest example of the organization’s ongoing commitment. BAMSL members were honored to partner with the Young Professionals Board of Rise Saint Louis, Gateway Greening, and Link St. Louis, Inc. on this important community gardening project. This volunteer project not only allowed us to care for the Clay Elementary Cougar Community Garden while the students were away on summer break, but it also introduced many volunteers to a part of Saint Louis that they had only driven past. Working with these wonderful organizations – and engaging with community members – reminded us of an important truth: that we are all in this together. BAMSL hopes to continue its work with these partners on significant community engagement projects going forward.

Metro High School at Bell Garden

Bell Demonstration and Community Garden had seven Metro High School students volunteer recently. We spoke with a couple of those students and asked how they became involved.

Ella Catherine said, “I heard it through a friend who also made their school a friend of Gateway Greening [Volunteer Group].”

Sasha Mothershead heard through her environmental club and from Ella Catherine.

These students, all upperclassmen, are all either involved in gardening, agriculture, or conservation and it doesn’t just end there. On top of volunteering Saturdays with Gateway Greening, each, in their various spare time, are either on debate team, running for their cross country team, involved with the school newspaper, taking advanced courses through the International Baccalaureate Program, and continuing to dedicate volunteer hours to other great organizations.

A great take away from the day was that they made friends with some of the Bell Community gardeners who gave the students tomatoes and sweet potatoes. Sasha said, “Being able to work with the people you’re helping is also cool.”

Individual Spotlight: Susan Baron

Total Lifetime Volunteer Hours with Gateway Greening: 200 hrs!

Susan Baron is a committed volunteer at Gateway Greening’s Bell Demonstration Garden! While living in New Hampshire, Susan had been involved with a community garden project, but when she moved she knew she wanted to continue to support that type of work here in St. Louis. Susan looked online and found Gateway Greening! We got in touch with Susan and asked her about her volunteer experience with our organization.

“Being a volunteer for Gateway Greening means getting up early on Saturdays, finding calm in weeding and picking bugs off of brassicas, experimenting with new ways to do things, being able to talk vegetable gardening with friends and coworkers, and having a good supply of Gateway Greening grocery bags, garden gloves, and t-shirts. I love having a place to go where I can watch the progress of the plants and be a part of a community of people tending a patch of ground.”

She also stated: “I think my favorite moments have been conversing with other volunteers while tending the garden. Having a common (and somewhat tedious) task seems to set the stage for conversations that take a little more time and go a little deeper than most daily conversations.

Also, sometimes I look up from my task–whatever it is–and realize I’m really happy. Sometimes the people and plants and weather all combine in a way that reminds me of all the beauty and goodness in the world.”

Celebrate National Farm to School Month in October

Posted on September 21, 2016 by sara

October is National Farm to School Month, a time to celebrate connections happening all over the country between schools and local food!

Farm to school enriches the connection communities have with fresh, healthy food and local food producers by changing food purchasing and education practices at schools and early care and education settings. Students gain access to healthy, local foods as well as educational opportunities such as school gardens, cooking lessons, and farm field trips.

Over the past decade, the farm to school movement has exploded across the United States, reaching millions of students in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Farm to school is an important tool in the fight against childhood obesity and food insecurity. In addition to improving child health, when schools buy local, they create new markets for local and regional farmers and contribute to vibrant communities, a win-win-win scenario!

Farm to School – Across the Nation

In March, the USDA released the results of its 2015 Farm to School Census, and the results are exciting!

In 2015 approximately 42,587 schools across the United States actively participated in Farm to School programs, reaching 23.6 million students nationwide.
During the 2013-2014 school year, participating schools purchased $789 million worth of local products from food producers – farmers, ranchers, and even fishermen!
54% of the 5,254 school districts surveyed reported having at least one edible school garden. (In the 2013-14 school year, they reported 7,101 active school gardens providing fresh food and education opportunities!)

Farm to School – What’s happening in Missouri?

According to the 2015 Missouri Farm to School Survey, at least 911 schools (143 school districts or private schools) used locally grown food in school meals or snacks during the 2014-2015 school year, with the average school district spending 3% of their budget on local products.
In the 2009-10 school year, the most popular locally grown items purchased in Missouri Farm to School programs were apples, melons, cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers.
The Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 authorized and provided funding to the USDA to establish a Farm to School Program to provide grants and technical assistance in implementing farm to school programs to improve access to local foods in eligible schools.
In 2016 the School District of Springfield R-12 was awarded just over $90,000 to increase student access to locally sourced produce and expand food and nutrition education by the USDA.

Farm to School – What’s happening in STL?

In 2016, the Ferguson-Florissant School District was awarded $91,500 to partner with St. Louis University and local farms to integrate and expand its farm to school program.
Gateway Greening currently supports 65 school gardens across 19 school districts in St. Louis. 25 of those school gardens are at St. Louis Public Schools! Over 600 teachers across the region use these gardens as outdoor laboratories, serving 12,000 students.
Gateway Greening youth educators are working with 300 students each week in their school gardens as part of the Seed to STEM program. These students will be out having a Farm to School Harvest Party in October!
Fifteen youth participated in Gateway Greening’s teen employment program, Dig It STL, on the Gateway Greening Urban Farm this summer. 45 additional youth participated in other Youth Conservation Corps programs at YCC member organizations, including EarthDance and Seeds of Hope Farms. These students learned about soil, plant science, nutrition and teamwork while fully engaging in the work of the farm from planting to harvest to selling at North City Farmers’ Market… and weeding, lots and lots of weeding.

The 2016 National Farm to School Month theme, One Small Step, will highlight the simple ways anyone can get informed, get involved and take action to advance farm to school in their own communities and across the country. Join the celebrations by signing the One Small Step pledge and take one small step to support healthy kids, thriving farmers and vibrant communities this October.

Whether you are a food service professional, a farmer, a teacher or a food-loving family, there are plenty of ways to celebrate and get involved in National Farm to School Month! The National Farm to School Network offers a variety of free resources on its website, www.farmtoschool.org, including posters, stickers and a communications toolkit.

Learn more about National Farm to School Month, how you can get involved, and sign the pledge by visiting www.farmtoschool.org.

Get Up, Get Out, Get Growing: Gateway Greening’s (Lucky) Summer Intern’s First Days

Posted on July 16, 2015 by sara

Hello! Allow me to introduce myself – I’m Hayden Andrews. I graduated from Webster University this past May, with a degree in Media Communications and Photography. I’ll be Gateway’s Communications Intern – about which I am thrilled – from now until mid-August. Catch me on the blog a few times a month, or out and about at various gardens – I’ll be the one with the camera.

My first few days with G.G. have been filled with (literal) warmth and inspiration. Last week, I was introduced to the staff both at the office and around town. I visited Bell Garden, City Seeds Urban Farm, and the Carriage House – I was on quite the mission – tagging along on a Saturday morning garden tour, hosted by Gateway’s Hannah. What tranquil places to be! Being outside on June morning and loving what you do, with people who love what they do…talk about endorphins!

Being a part of Gateway, I have sorted Swiss chard with prison rehabilitation program members, interviewed high school students who think planting peas is a fulfilling way to spend a Saturday, stopped by gardens in parts of the city I had never heard of, picked cucumbers with a 6 year-old, and taken home bushels (bushels!) of fresh veggies. Gateway Greening is literally making me a better person from the inside out, and it’s only week two!

I can’t wait to see what’s in store this summer. Besides kale, of course.

Thanks for reading.

– H

Planting Seeds, Harvesting Experiences: Dietetic Interns at the Farm

Posted on October 15, 2014 by sara

As Fontbonne Dietetic Interns at Gateway Greening we are leaving behind traditional internship rotations and putting on our gloves –gardening gloves— to better understand the effects of sustainable food on a community.

Immersive training is an integral part of becoming a dietitian. But at Gateway Greening we dietetic interns aren’t just getting our feet wet, we are getting outside and getting our hands dirty, and we don’t miss the office.

What do dietitians and urban agriculture have in common? Food, and collaborating in the name of food is something we are always interested in.

Dietitians are focused on helping others become the healthiest version of themselves, beginning with their diet. As dietitians in training we focus a lot on the biochemical and medical nutrition therapy aspects of food. Our time at Gateway Greening helped us look at nutrition from a more personal light. From gardening to creating recipes, we were able to focus on the level of nutrition most people relate to–nutrition from the ground up.

Spending time with the professionals at Gateway Greening also helped us to better understand the solutions available to health barriers in urban settings and how to overcome them as a community. By putting our hands in the dirt and our faces in the sun (or rain) we were able to learn about the importance of having a connection to the food you eat, and how city farmers are working hard to minimize urban hunger while maximizing community partnership.

The result? A new crop of dietitians. Dietitians that not only know how to educate on healthy food choices but ones who understand the roots of healthy food and the hard work that goes into growing them.

It’s not easy being green- but it sure is rewarding. Not only did we learn about sustainable food sources but we now better understand our part in the urban food supply and how to educate others on it—and that’s some serious green power.

Perhaps one of the most valuable lessons we will learn during our time as dietetic interns is that the seeds you plant you eventually harvest. We sure are thankful for the meaningful seeds Gateway Greening helped us plant during our time here. Thanks Gateway Greening for taking on Fontbonne Dietetic Interns and for allowing us to be a small part of your big impact. Now good luck keeping us out of the gardens!

-Aspen Mittler, Fontbonne Dietetic Intern

Introducing Our Summer Youth Staff

Posted on June 12, 2014 by sara

Hello my name is Kortez Nobles. This is my second week working with Gateway Greening and I’m highly enjoying it. Gateway Greening is very passionate about gardening and maintaining to keep our community safe. Gateway Greening educates and empowers people to strengthen their communities through gardening and urban agriculture. Everyday I come to work it motivates me to strive for my best because I like to see a beautiful garden growing. I love working with the kids in the gardens and seeing them laugh, have fun, and so energetic about the garden.

I’ve had some great experiences over the past week. When I first started working I was thinking like “I don’t like this job, I don’t want to work with dirt.” Then it turned out different. I met new people. I’ve had chances to communicate with some of my coworkers. They’re pretty cool. I talked with kids. They were very energetic about learning how to plant strawberries. We’ve had activities and I’ve enjoyed playing with them. My favorite activity was the scavenger hunt. I thought it was exciting. I believe I have more experience within this week than I’ve ever had about plants and gardening. I can identify some plants we’ve been growing in the garden.

Over all I’m having fun with Gateway Greening. I haven’t had any bad experiences. I plan on learning more about plants and gardening. As a personal opinion, I think everyone should have a garden to support Gateway Greening in building a safe community.

-Kortez Nobles

Overheard in the Garden

Posted on March 13, 2014 by sara

Education in the Garden

It has been an eventful week in our school gardens! The nice weather means we’ve been outside at last, feeling the sunshine on our faces and cleaning up our gardens for spring. Hauling mulch, picking up trash, hanging bird feeders—something about the flurry of activity has turned my students into unstoppable chatterboxes.

The fresh air has made the line between reality and imagination a little fuzzy…

Me: “What kinds of animals visit your garden?”
Class (in unison): “Zebras!!!”

Me: “Why do we want to pick up trash in the garden? What might eat the trash?”
Kindergartener: “Witches.”
Other Kindergartener: “And they’d put a spell on us!!”

Preschooler, holding what is clearly a big stick: “Look at this huge worm I found!”
Other preschooler: “I have four baby worms. They tickle me all day long.”

…and sometimes, while they like the idea of gardening, they approach actual gardening with trepidation…

Me: “Today we’re making bird feeders!”
Preschoolers: “Ewwww!”

Me: “Next, we’re going to plant some flowers!”
2^nd grade class: “Yay!”
(mad scramble for flower seeds and pots)
2^nd grader: “Um, excuse me, does that mean we have to touch the dirt?”

Kindergarteners, holding their cups full of worms, waiting for instructions.
Me: “Ok, pour your worms out on the table to look at them.”
Kindergarteners pour them out, see the worms, and run away screaming: “AHHHHHH!”

…but most of the time, I think my students should probably be running the world.

Kindergartener: “We have a garden at school just in case something bad happens and then we have food.”

7^th grader: “If you grow your own food, you know it don’t have pesticides.”
Other 7^th grader: “And you won’t get yellow stuff on your heart and have a stroke.”

Preschooler: “I know that dirt made my lunch.”
2^nd graders, overcoming their fear of dirt, chanting: “God made dirt, dirt don’t hurt. Ahhhhh, it’s wet! God made dirt, dirt don’t hurt!”

4^th grader, making a plant label: “Look, I put hearts on the part that goes underground, so the plant knows I love it.”

My favorite part about garden education is that young people can learn while being their loud, bouncing-around selves. What they lack in technical gardening knowledge, they make up for with love and enthusiasm. With all that positive energy, the plants will be taller than the kids in no time.

-Carolyn Cosgrove-Payne, Gateway Greening Youth Educator

Math is Easier with Ears of Corn!

Posted on March 5, 2014 by sara

Education in the Garden

I spent Thursday afternoon with 7th graders who absolutely cannot wait another moment to eat corn. I was helping them plan our garden using math. “If a corn plant takes up two square feet,” I said, “and one of your garden beds is eighty square feet, how many corn plants can we grow in that bed?”

Foreheads wrinkled for a moment, and then they almost shouted, “Forty!”

“How many ears of corn grow on one plant?”

“Maybe two!” “Or three!”

“So how many ears of corn do we get to eat?”

“At least eighty!”

There were four boys in that group, and they spent the rest of that class divvying up the imaginary ears of corn among themselves. “I did the most work,” one of them said, “so I’m taking forty and y’all can have the rest.” Protests ensued. Around them, the other groups worked on their projects– counting backwards from the last frost date to make our spring planting calendar, making lists of companion plants, measuring the garden beds outside and finding their areas. “Excuse me Miss Carolyn,” one girl said urgently from across the room, “but what is a coal-rab-y? Should we grow it?” “I’ve never tasted eggplant,” her friend added, “so we have to grow that. What does it taste like?”

Yes, growing food is all about math and science, but it’s also about magic and suspense. If we plant these things, will they really grow? If they grow, do we really get to eat them? As I look at the weather forecast and see nothing but freezing temperatures ahead, the biggest question on my mind is if spring will ever come. My kindergarten class at Clay Elementary has planted a chaotic jumble of pea seeds in their garden, and are eagerly awaiting their arrival aboveground. Checking their beds this week, there was not a single pea shoot to be seen. We are so anxious for them we could burst.

Leaving the 7th grade yesterday, I said, “I’ll be back in two weeks. Maybe by then it’ll be warm enough to go outside.” Outside! The word rocketed around the room like electricity. Cross your fingers for us. We may be sitting inside this weekend wearing hats and mittens, but we’ll be dreaming of math class with a warm breeze, fresh peas, and some fat ears of corn.

-Carolyn Cosgrove-Payne, Gateway Greening Youth Educator