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Local Maryland Yale Alumni Create Garden In Baltimore City With Young Students From KIPP Harmony
KIPP Harmony Garden Project Engages Kids, Adults in Making Urban GreenSpace
BALTIMORE, MD - From bed preparation, seeding, mulching, and watering to harvesting, eating and pickling, students from KIPP Harmony Academy will have a unique opportunity to learn, first hand, how to plan and maintain a sustainable community garden with the help of local volunteers and gardening experts. The KIPP Harmony Garden Project, sponsored by the Yale Alumni of Maryland and Whole Foods, will begin on Saturday, May 15 from 9 a.m.- 3p.m. at KIPP Harmony Academy located at 2810 Shirley Ave in Baltimore, as part of Yale University's second annual Global Day of Service. Over 100 people are expected to attend the event and work throughout the day to set-up the special garden. For more information about KIPP or the Yale Day of Service, please log onto www.kippbaltimore.org or www.yaledayofservice.com.
"We are excited and thrilled to be a part of such a unique project that will teach our students not only how to create a true organic produce garden but also how to work together as a team to achieve a common goal," said Jason Botel, Executive Director for KIPP Baltimore. He added," With the help and support of the Yale alumni and Whole Foods, through the KIPP Harmony Garden Project, our kindergarteners and eventually the entire KIPP family, will engage in science and service learning, two essential steps on their path to college."
To kick-off the garden project, students and their families, teachers, Yale Alumni , gardening professionals and friends of the KIPP school will build boxes, fill them with soil and compost and begin planting various vegetables, fruits and herbs that can later be harvested and utilized in making recipes. The plants will include tomato, cucumber, peppers, squash, beans, basil, parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, among others. Once the garden is planted, students, with the help of the Yale Alumni, will work to develop a schedule of maintenance to carry out throughout the summer and into the fall.
Yale Alumni Help Create Harmony Gardens for KIPP Charter School
Local chef Spike Gjerde of neighboring Woodberry Kitchen will be on hand giving demonstrations on ways to use the future produce. Other events planned for the day include Baltimore City-based East Coast Organics teaching the students how to make compost out of organic materials, such as tea, and also help them with arts and crafts projects to help beautify the garden and identify the produce being planted.
"Yale University is steeped in tradition and values and one of our great passions is giving back to the community! We have over 25 Yale Alumni and their friends and family, attending this event and they will be working side-by-side with these students to assist them in constructing a garden that can be harvested for years to come," said Mike Morris, CEO of Cana Development and project leader for the Yale Alumni of Maryland. He also said," We are interested in this project because we want to have a long term relationship with the students and the school and really make a difference in Baltimore City."
Last year, the Association of Yale Alumni initiated a Global Day of Service during which over 3,500 Yale alumni and friends came together to work side-by-side to give back all over the world. At more than 180 sites in 35 states and 13 countries, members of the Yale community embodied the University's great tradition of service in giving back. Local communities were changed by the Yale alumni who live and work there.
Culinary expert "Coach" is a project consultant for the Harmony Garden Project and an employee of Whole Foods in Baltimore. He will be teaching the students the proper way in which to plant the vegetables and herbs and also explain what it takes to keep the project successful. "Whole Foods is so glad to be a part of this very worthwhile gardening venture that will teach our future generations how easy and healthy it is to grow locally and invest in a product that will reap rewards well beyond the planting."
KIPP Baltimore operates two charter schools in the Baltimore area with the main goal of preparing students from low socioeconomic backgrounds to graduate from college. KIPP Ujima Village Academy, founded in 2002, is a public charter school serving over 370 students in grades 5-8 and is located at 4701 Greenspring Ave. KIPP Harmony Academy, founded in 2009, is a public charter elementary school currently with a Kindergarten program and with a five year plan to expand to serving 625 students in grades K-4. For more information, please log onto www.kippbaltimore.org.