The school garden at MELS
In the spring of 2018, Mark and Dan looked around FH for locations where community gardens could be started. They discovered a little-used school garden behind the Metropolitan Expeditionary Learning School (MELS), and decided to adopt and reboot it. Volunteers refreshed and expanded the garden beds, cleared up the site surrounding the garden. We brought in environmental educator Monica Ibacache to lead workshops for students. Over that summer, our volunteers, led by Alyse Koenigsburg and Janet Slater, took care of the plants. Parents, students and administrators at MELS continue to keep the garden a vibrant educational center.
Reclaiming the garden
Moving on from MELS, we reached out to area schools. Our discussions with the administration of Forest Hills High School led to a year-long environmental design course taught by Monica Ibacache, and the start of the FH Community Garden at the back of the school.
