CHCS Ass't Principal for the Peabody Campus Suriya Douglas Williams welcomes assembled students. Photo courtesy Laura Marks.
Capitol Hill school gardens have begun adding pepper patches to their primrose paths, real or imagined. Long the province of beautification and greening efforts, our Hill schoolyards may become more than visual treats with the vision provided by the Peabody Early Childhood Campus edible school yard, dedicated late last week in a school-wide assembly.
The Louise Chapman Children’s Garden, named after retiring School-Within-A-School (SWS) at Peabody teacher Louise Chapman, features 14 raised garden beds — one for each class — and a central shared “community box,” according to a press release from the Peabody campus of the Capitol Hill Cluster School (CHCS).
Cucumbers or lima beans? Tomatoes or zucchini? Or a full bowl of salad with room for cilantro? What’s sprouting in the beds is yet to be determined, as garden caretakers — parents of kids at SWS — are still taking orders from teachers on what plants by way of seeds they want.
Would-be nibblers ready to take a bite out of this summer’s newest community garden must have patience!
The space will be used year-round as an outdoor classroom to teach basic science, math and ecology concepts and to help focus kids’ attention on food appreciation and nutrition — they’ll eat what they grow.
A team of resolute parents bent on raising beans and healthy food options amid the garden scrub, marshalled staff and students as they shoveled, built and heaved enough new topsoil and compost together to construct the new garden area. Non-profit and corporate support came from the Capitol Hill Community Foundation, Hands On DC, the law firm of Bingham McCutchen, and DC Greenworks.
“We are tremendously grateful for the outpouring of support from our parents, administrators, staff and community partners for this important effort. With kids spending more and more time inside, school gardens are a valuable tool for connecting kids to the outdoors, teaching environmental stewardship, and engaging with nature,” said CHCS PTA President Amanda Bassow.
Check out the before and after pictures here.
A little about the woman for whom the garden is named: Chapman has been called a tireless advocate for gardening and the value of outdoor learning spaces for children in her 22 years of teaching.
We will keep you updated before the harvest moon.
Peabody teacher Louise Chapman helps young students plant in one of 14 new raised garden beds as part of a community-wide effort. Photo courtesy Laura Marks.