From black-eyed Susans to bee balm, compass plant, coreopsis and more, the path of Highland Park Elementary holds more than 100 native plants and wildlife species.
This garden initiative, still new and growing, began as an idea from the Gantz Park team for bringing together these two spaces.
Two years ago, the team approached Highland Park Principal Stephanie Baker with the concept. She then brought the project to someone she knew could make the plan a reality: fourth-grade teacher Zachary Pearson.
Blooming ideas
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A teacher of more than 18 years, with 10 years at Highland Park, Pearson is an avid gardener and botanical painter in his free time, which made him a great candidate to lead the project.
“We have this good connection (with Gantz Park). We were doing a staff scavenger hunt, and I met the mayor of Grove City, Ike Stage, and he said, ‘I’ve always wanted to make a pathway from Highland Park to Gantz Park so the kids could go there after school,’” Pearson says. “The kids and I brainstormed, but it was Gantz Park (that) had the idea to bring a little bit of Gantz Park to Highland Park.”
After officially applying for and receiving the two grants for the project, Pearson started work on the plots with the help of students.
While a lot of the help came from his classroom students, there were several students from all across the school, especially those involved in the after-school P.A.R.K. program, who helped with everything from building the raised beds to digging and planting.
Not only did Pearson get help when creating the space, his students also helped pick out what to plant. During classes, he encouraged students to research native plants and which ones would benefit native creatures as well.
“I learned a lot from them researching,” Pearson says. “Did you know birds like plants that are (the) same color (as them)? Shout out to Carter from my class. I think it helps with the camouflage. So, if you want red birds, like, if you want cardinals, you should plant some red plants.”
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Legacy roots
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Once the garden was in place, Pearson and his students conducted science lessons on ecosystems as well as civic lessons on giving back to the community in impactful ways by “making a space to help things live.”
“One of the things I say to the kids is, ‘We’re going to plant these this year, but you’re not going to see them grow. You’re really doing it for the future kids. You’ve got so much from Highland Park and from each other here at Highland Park,’ that this is their gift back to future kids,” Pearson says. “They have a lot of ownership in it then.”
Pearson’s classes have led the charge on the garden for the past two years; however, countless others have helped along the way.
Other classes have assisted with weeding, raising monarch caterpillars to release in the garden and overall upkeep such as gathering seeds. The garden has become a large source of pride among students, as they check up on the garden frequently whether by emailing Pearson or by tagging along with him when he’s tending to the garden.
“Kids would go home after school, ask their mom if they could come back to school because they wanted to be there when I was watering the plants so they could help water the plants…I never had kids saying, ‘Can I come back to school? Because I want to help out,’ like that,” says Pearson.
The future of the space is not set in stone yet; however there are plans to create an outdoor learning space similar to the one at Monterey Elementary, equipped with park benches.
Pearson hopes to connect with other garden teachers across the district to continue improving the garden in new and unique ways and impacting students for years to come.
“I hope that they love plants and that they have a sense of possibility that they can do it themselves. They can plant something that helps their environment,” Pearson says.
Jane Dimel is an assistant editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at jdimel@cityscenemediagroup.com.
