Garden at high school springs to life

PHOTO/ANDREW SULLIVAN The garden is planted at Algonquin Regional High School.

Northborough/Southborough - The school year at Algonquin Regional High School (ARHS) is over, but the work for some continues on. Students and faculty are working on a vegetable garden in the courtyard of the school. The goal is to increase awareness of the importance of agriculture while also promoting community service. Nutrition and culinary arts teacher Susan Halpin is impressed by the progress.

    “People are really starting to pay attention to growing things locally and knowing where your food is coming from,” she said. “With the economy the way it is, people are finding this is a really good way to save money.”   

    The garden is the first step in a transformation of the center courtyard at the school. Following the recent completion of the ARHS renovation, plans were made to make over the space into a sanctuary complete with gardens, gazebos and storage facilities. Since work began in early March, money has been raised quickly.

    Halpin was quick to credit 50 students who volunteered to help bring the garden to life.

    “It isn’t my garden,” she said. “The kids have really put all the work into it.”

    The plan is to continue the development of the garden throughout the summer in a variety of ways. Halpin plans to use the time to expand her knowledge of gardening with a course at Fitchburg State College in connection with Mass. Agricultural in the Classroom. The experience has paid off so far.

    “This is a very cool course,” she said. “We’re actually learning to develop curriculum using gardens. I’ve already come away with some really good materials to kind of adapt to my own use here.”

     Faculty and students will be working on the garden throughout the summer. Some of the duties include weeding, harvesting and maintaining the irrigation system. It’s this kind of support that is making the idea a success.

    “We’re really trying to make this cross subject project,” Halpin said. “We’re sort of using this as a life lab.”

     Alan Steinmen, the Gillis Brothers, the Northborough and Southborough garden clubs, the Murphy Sisters Foundation, Northborough Department of Public Works, Southborough Education Foundation, and Shirley Lundberg and Wayne Coulson from Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School have donated time and/or materials.

    “I think it helps build good community relationships,” Halpin said. “Because our town spends so much money on the schools, I think it’s important that [the public] knows the kids are doing really good stuff.”

    Creating alternative forms of learning is an additional benefit of the garden. The students are able to get a more hands-on approach to an important lesson.

    “That’s really important,” Halpin said. “[The garden] gets students out of the classroom and doing something important.”

    All food not used for the school will be donated to the Northborough Food Pantry. Halpin took notice of similar vegetable gardens and wanted to lend a hand.

    “I was really inspired by the St. Rose of Lima Church,” she said. “Some of the people that use the food bank were very excited to have some fresh produce. It’s been very cool.”

   Halpin is hopeful students will come away with some valuable life lessons based on this experience.

    “I want them to start thinking about incorporating healthier habits into their diets,” she said. “I also want them to learn that [gardening] isn’t hard and it’s something that anyone could do.”