HHS Garden Club

This past school year, Hastings High School Garden Club heard about the Bloomberg Philanthropies Grant. We immediately applied given our garden had never been renovated, and it had been installed 10+ years ago. The garden was in desperate need of new tools, fencing, and a place to put our tools. 

Since our tools had all been either rusted or gone missing, we ordered the necessary replacements for the future success of our club. The fence itself was coming apart and bursting at the corners, which caused the need for a new one. Lastly, a shed was necessary because there had been theft from the gardens in the past, leaving us without a shovel or a hose.

The Hastings High School Garden Club is a community that fosters student involvement and hard work. Every Thursday, students from all grade levels join together at the garden. Whether it be to weed or to harvest, enthusiasm surrounding the club is omnipresent. This is why restoration was needed: to restore the garden, therefore ensuring the continuation of the club.

Garden Club is also a pivotal table at Back to School night, where parents seek out our table to buy our garlic. Teachers also often inquire about taking a thing or two from our garden, something we strongly encourage.

Garden Club teaches students how to work outside. It teaches them about planting techniques, how to identify weeds, how to garden, and how to be a member of a community. These skills can be important later in life, especially since they promote the act of gardening, which is both good for people and the environment.

The investments from the Bloomberg Philanthropies Youth Climate Action Fund will help sustain Garden Club for years to come. With these upgrades, our community will thrive far after we are gone and allow for the flow of new members to continue. 

Steps in completing project:

1. Researched equipment, gained permission for shed location, and ordered fencing, shed, and tools.

2. Over the course of three days, Garden Club met to remove the old fence and install the new one.

3. During the course of one club meeting, we were able to install the shed in our spot, reserved to us by Hastings High School Buildings and Grounds, on the side of the school.

Outcome: At the Hastings High School annual Club Fair, we received the most sign-ups within the past four years and had the highest attendance rate of Garden Club in Garden Club history.