Love of gardening blooms at Garden City Elementary

Jen Cowart
Posted 6/25/15

Thanks to Garden City Elementary School teacher assistant Cheryl Celeste and her fellow Western Cranston Garden Club members, students had the opportunity to sign up for an after school gardening …

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Love of gardening blooms at Garden City Elementary

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Thanks to Garden City Elementary School teacher assistant Cheryl Celeste and her fellow Western Cranston Garden Club members, students had the opportunity to sign up for an after school gardening club that would ultimately beautify the school grounds while teaching the children the art of horticulture.

“We had a request from Mrs. Mays, a mom at the school who runs the after school enrichment programs, interested in an activity for the students,” Celeste said. “We came up with four weeks of projects that consisted of a miniature greenhouse using newspaper and baggies, a fairy garden which used dried materials from various members’ yards, an edible garden and a community beautification project. For the edible garden, they planted lettuce, basil and parsley in bottles donated from Pepsi. The students each paid $15 for the four-week club and the Western Cranston Garden Club paid for any expenses above and beyond that cost. At the end of the four weeks, each student was able to keep the trowels, gloves and spray bottles used for the four weeks’ projects.”

As the final week commenced, more than a dozen students in grades one through five gathered outside for their final project, the planting of Knockout Rose bushes and annuals along the front sidewalk of Garden City School. Along with Beth Reale, Rose Strokes and Jeanne Maddalena, the students were ready to dig, plant and water for a good cause.

“Beth and Jeanne, along with Donna Catanzaro, Paula Munko and Linda Alves, all helped with the other three weeks’ projects,” said Celeste.

The students were guided through the steps of readying the ground for planting, pulling out roots and weeds wherever necessary, and placing the plants where they felt they looked best, adding fertilizer and water to the new plantings.

“The purpose of the project was to introduce students at a young age to the world of horticulture and community beautification, with the hope that they will develop a love for gardening and an awareness of the world around them,” Celeste said. “Our ultimate goal is that their gardening skills will grow and they will become more interested in planting and gardening. As they watch what they have planted develop into products that can be eaten … and enjoy the beauty of the garden they planted in front of the school, and the flower seeds they planted in their mini greenhouses, we hope that it will truly inspire them to continue with gardening into their adult lives.”

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