New Hanover County
Schools Middle School Pathways Program Seeks Volunteers for the
"Pathways to a Community Teaching Garden Project"
The NHCS Middle School Pathways Program
is planning a garden raising party to launch the Pathways to a
Community Teaching Garden (PCTG)Project. The work day will be
held on Sunday, May 3, 2009, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., at the
Mosley Performance Learning Center, located at 1805 South 13th
Street. Community support is needed to help with preparing the
garden space. From shoveling topsoil to digging holes to
building garden boxes, the assistance of volunteers will be most
appreciated. No contribution will be too small. Materials to
prepare the site will be on-hand, though if available,
volunteers may bring their own tools. Snacks will be provided
for volunteers.
The PCTG Project is a service learning
opportunity created to give Pathways students the experience of
designing, creating, and maintaining a community garden on-site
and then distributing their products to the surrounding
community, including many of their own families. PCTG is
designed to raise community awareness and educate students and
adults about the value of service learning. Academically, the
students will be exposed to multi-disciplinary lessons in
science, mathematics, social studies, and language arts that
cover, but are not limited to: measurement, scaling, and basic
geometry, agricultural science and ecology, economic
sustainability, community service, and procedures writing.
NHCS Pathways has been working in an
ongoing effort to secure funds and community involvement to
support the initial creation of the site, materials for planting
and maintaining the garden, equipment and clothing for the
students, and educational materials. The project is a
collaboration between the school, local and state support
agencies, like Wilmington Health Access for Teens (WHAT) and the
New Hanover Extension Office at the Arboretum, and the
surrounding community.
The long-range plan for the project is
to continually seek new and better ways to become sustainable
without assistance beyond the community it serves. Future
additions include installing a fence around the perimeter of the
garden space, increase raised-bed garden boxes from four to 16,
and add a potting shed and work benches. Additionally, NHCS
Pathways will strive to accomplish its goal of being sustainable
by using more environmentally sound methods and materials.
For more information about the PCTG
Project, contact Marc Milanich, NHCS Middle School Pathways
Program Leader, at (910) 251-6161, ext. 608 or
