Crompond Elementary School Completes New Garden System for the Fall

As July comes to a close, so does the completion of a new garden system at Crompond Intermediate School (also formerly known as the Crompond Elementary School) where students could plant and consume the fruits (and veggies) of their labors. 

With the success of Brookside Elementary school's "cultivation station," which officially opened in September 2009, fourth and fifth graders at the new Crompond Intermediate School will also be able to experience the benefits of their very own "edible garden."

The garden project was lead by Crompond teachers who previously taught at Brookside Elementary School. Since the teachers were already familiar with the work of Teich Garden Systems LLC, the creators of the educational garden, they were able to move the project along quickly.

"When I was told that I would be teaching at the new Crompond Intermediate School," Cari Byrnes said,  "I was motivated to start this process again."

Byrnes will be teaching fourth grade due to the restructuring of the school buildings this fall.

"The experience our students had at Brookside with the garden were very valuable and needed to follow us to our new school," Byrnes said. "Having a second garden in our district is allowing for more opportunities to reach students who otherwise wouldn't have access to a garden."

The school's principal, nurse, teachers, certified teaching assistants, custodians and parents have collaborated to support the construction of the garden. On the district level, many people were involved including superintendents, operations and maintenance crew, and custodial staff.

The Garden Committee members for Crompond Intermediate School include Byrnes and Elaine Goodwin as co-chairs, Principal Ken Levy, secretary Ronnie Franchi, custodians, fourth and fifth grade teachers and teaching assistants. There is also a PTA garden committee, as well as an increasing staff of volunteers.

The garden project, which cost approximately $24,000, was completely funded by multiple grants from the Foundation of Excellence, NOVA and the Yorktown PTA. The construction began June 29 and took about two weeks due to land excavation. 

Teich Garden Systems builds custom designs that are animal-resistant, sustainable and appropriate for gardeners of all ages and abilities. Business manager Jared Finkelstein said the company started building educational gardens almost four years ago. Each garden varies in size in relation to the school's population.

This fall, Crompond Intermediate School will serve approximately 600 fourth and fifth graders. The new garden is 16 x 40 ft. and incorporates paved areas and raised garden beds on wheels for handicap accessibility. TGS has built more than 10 educational gardens in Westchester County alone, in addition to numerous locations all over the country from California to Washington, D.C.

Mark Teich, founder of TGS, said his company is thrilled that Crompond students will be able to experience one of their gardens.

"It is gratifying that the teachers felt so strongly about the garden and the value that it brings to their program," he said.

The garden would enhance the educational experiences of students by providing an outdoor classroom to give students a chance to connect to their natural world and the processes and systems that their lives depend on, Byrnes said. This would empower students by providing them with a stake in creating a sustainable future as they are given space to connect to their natural environment and learn to work cooperatively and peacefully.

"Gardens give students hands-on practical skills that have been proven to increase interest levels and learning outcomes," Byrnes said. "Most importantly, healthier diets result when children grow their own food and come to understand the importance of eating fruits and vegetables that are locally and organically grown."

Goodwin, the Yorktown Central School District wellness chair, who also helped propose this project alongside Director of Wellness Programs Laura Tolosi, said in order to generate a healthier environment, from September to June, the students would consume the garden's produce.

The vegetables will be used in the cafeteria and there will even be "salad days." Each classroom will have a designated garden period each week and will utilize the garden differently, depending on the grade level.

There are also many learning opportunities and curriculum connections that will be taking place. Some include integrating many areas of the curriculum: basic garden design and planning (math), investigating the greenhouse effect (science), using smiles and metaphors to describe garden (ELA), creating a Native American Three Sisters garden—corn, beans, and squash—(social students), nutrition lessons and community wide celebrations.

Goodwin said they hoped to build more educational gardens in the future.