[slideshow] On Friday, May 13th, the Jefferson High Green Design Academy students in Ms. Acosta's Biology class and Mr. Garcia's Sketch Design class planted three herb gardens a half block from the school on 40th Place. This was the final part of their Spring 2011 segment of the Cleaning and Greening Neighborhood Project. The goal of this project is to help the residents near Jefferson High School alter their landscapes to make the neighborhood 'cleaner and greener' and improve the local ecology.
During the course of the Spring semester, Ali Bhai, RootDown's Horticultural Program Manager, has taught Ms. Acosta's and Mr. Garcia's students the basics of edible landscape design and horticulture. The students have put this knowledge into action by planting fruit trees in the neighborhood, providing landscaping consultation, and now installing these herb gardens. Students and volunteers, led RootDown, will oversee the maintenance of the gardens throughout the summer. On June 3rd, the students will be celebrating their progress this semester with a feast in the Preciado Garden on campus, which has functioned as their learning lab all semester long.
