Partners, Grants, and Models for a Garden at Strawberry Knoll

Here is an update about “getting our ducks in a row” to create an educational, outdoor green space at Strawberry Knoll that could win the approval of the school district (MCPS), which owns the land. We are making progress. If you can assist, my contact info is below. -- S.L. Sept. 2022

THE CONCEPT. The St. Michaels Community Garden (SMCG) is similar in size and purpose to the garden we hope to create, with MCPS approval, on Strawberry Knoll. The garden on the Eastern Shore is a “wonderful community partnership, with 40 garden beds available to rent for $5 per year. Children, seniors, amateurs, Master Gardeners, and enthusiasts of all ages grow for themselves and to share with others.” See recent snapshots, above, and a 2020 news item posted by the town. “A dedicated group of community members maintains paths, raised beds, and shared equipment, while always recruiting new volunteers.” SMCG participants include the nonprofit Critchlow Adkins Children’s Centers. Then see photo #2 and #3, above, taken at Strawberry Knoll, showing proposed dimensions for a bed (sketched out with stakes and string) based on the concepts we see at the successful operation in St. Michaels. The Strawberry Knoll garden would have only 8 or 10 raised beds, too small for an official county garden, but maybe just right for this little space.

FUNDING. We have been encouraged to apply for a Chesapeake Bay Trust Youth Environmental Education Grant Program grant. Specifically, CBT’s “Project Track 2” grant is titled “Outdoor Classroom, School-Yard Habitat, or Community-Based Improvement Requests (requests up to $10,000).” Such projects “focus on developing outdoor learning space in local communities or on school grounds through the installation of outdoor classrooms, school-yard native habitats (such as a one-time tree planting or pollinator garden planting), or community-based improvement projects.” At Strawberry Knoll, volunteers informally managed a small meadow, a RainGarden, and vegetable plots for two-and-a-half years. That activity can now be improved upon and formalized, with the help of readers like you. This CBT grant application is expected to open in late October 2022 for projects to occur in 2023. (Our next PATCH article will detail some of the requirements of that grant and how we plan to meet them.) We might also apply for a small RainScapes grant from the county at some point.

CURRICULUM. Teachers at every grade level at Strawberry Knoll Elementary School (SKES) have expressed enthusiasm for a project that would be worked mostly by adult volunteers from the neighborhood, but used in lessons tied to short “field trip.” A class could walk down the sidewalk to the food garden, RainGarden, and little meadow “next door” to the school as a teacher or docent teaches a lesson. The plots are on MCPS property, but on the far side of a utility driveway (not alongside the school building itself). See photos. Notice the ADA-compliant sidewalk ramp. Lesson planning would probably begin with the fifth grade (which emphasizes literacy and math) during the first year of the project, and expand to the other grades in future years.

PARTNERS: In addition to the SKES principal and partners in the school system, we will be drawing on wisdom from nonprofits and government agencies that have deep experience in community gardening, sustainability, and education. These include the Montgomery County’s Community Garden Program; the University of Maryland Extension Services and Master Gardener program; and the Montgomery County Food Council.

OVERSIGHT. In coordination with principals, MCPS Facilities Management oversees all of the grounds and structures at schools. For example, there is a rodent control inspection of the area twice a year. The school’s Parent Teacher Association (PTA) could administer seasonal details; for example, collecting a $5 annual rental fee for each garden bed. A lead teacher, along with the principal (who supports the concept) would coordinate educational activities and consult with the gardeners. Special plants could be featured in a few beds dedicated to specific lessons and/or experiments adjacent to the ADA-complaint sidewalk.

COMMUNITY SUPPORT. More than 180 people have signed an online petition asking the Superintendent of Schools to facilitate the conversations we need. Creating a community garden at Strawberry Knoll requires collaboration. Families (adults and children) and retirees were the main gardeners during the informal garden’s initial years, and will be again. True, some school gardens fall into disrepair after a few years for lack of workers and lagging enthusiasm. Ironically, at Strawberry Knoll, we had the opposite problem: members of the community were eager to garden, but lacked clear authorization. We seek conversations, and appreciate cooperation and guidance from MCPS administration.

In conclusion, and to quote the Chesapeake Bay Trust, there is “a growing body of research that demonstrates the benefits of outdoor learning for mental health, stress reduction, physical health, student engagement, and academic success.” The presence of a garden and regular gardeners also increases the physical security of the school building and grounds. It creates a “commons”–a place where neighbors of all ages can meet and talk. It builds community spirit. And it’s fun. In America, we can work together to do this.

–– Steven Sellers Lapham, PTA Volunteer, MuskratMusic@gmail.com. September 9, 2022
NOTE: The St. Michaels Community Garden is located next to the St. Michaels Library at 106 Fremont Street, St. Michaels, MD 21663