Horticulture / Landscape Technology students from Minuteman High School help construct garden classroom at Burbank School in Belmont

By Judy Bass

Horticulture / Landscape Technology students from Minuteman High School in Lexington recently played a key role in turning an unremarkable open space on the grounds of an elementary school in Belmont into an inviting area for learning and enjoyment.

Under the supervision of Minuteman Horticulture /Landscape Technology instructors Sarah Ard and Peter Kelleher, these students – along with horticulture and landscape professionals and others from the Mary Lee Burbank School – helped create a garden classroom featuring “a butterfly garden, a playful fairy ring, a Colonial herb garden, a Wetu wigwam, and a weather station,” according to Burbank PTA Co-President Harriet Wong. (Both Wong and PTA Co-President Laurie Bufano were involved in the garden classroom project, along with the Burbank PTA Landscape Committee.)

Two other individuals were instrumental in making this project come to fruition by partnering with the Burbank PTA on it, Wong pointed out. One was Walker Thomas, a Burbank School graduate who worked on the garden classroom for his Eagle Scout badge by managing the site excavation and preparation so the Minuteman students could begin what they needed to do. Another was landscape architect Michael White of Continuum Landscape Architects in Watertown. As project manager, he finalized the site specifications and helped guide the Minuteman team.

The garden will be utilized for grade-appropriate activities. “Burbank teachers and students can use the garden as inspiration for hands-on learning outdoors. Kindergarten students are growing ‘magic’ beanstalks for their study of fairy tales, and third graders planted a selection of herbs used in colonial times,” Wong noted.

The project exemplified the way Minuteman provides opportunities for its students to demonstrate their professionalism and put their skills to use in the community. For two weeks, they were on-site at the Burbank School “installing a walking path and patio, trees and shrubs, raised beds, and other design elements,” Wong explained.

The students got valuable experience working with a client to produce a desired result – an esthetically-pleasing outdoor environment that met certain specifications.

The Minuteman students who participated were freshmen Lola Clemente (Medford), Jeff Connell (Billerica), Nick DuLong (Medford), Tim White (Waltham), and Brandon Raymond (Somerville); sophomores Brent Boudrot (Billerica), Angelo Butera (Needham), Ricky Gottschalk (Wilmington), Lisa French (Lexington), Deanna Ford (Bedford), Natania DuFresne (Boston), John Goudey (Billerica), Okorie Alfred (Dorchester), Duncan MacLean (Medford) and Justin de Souza (Medford); juniors Michael Frongillo (Medford), Nick Caldwell (Woburn), AJ Addezio (Woburn), Connor Coakley (Woburn), Agyei Alfred (Dorchester), Dashon Ellison-Moss (Boston), Tom Grennon (Dedham), Kaylah Bennett (Littleton), Hannah English (Woburn), Michael Vella (Billerica) and Jason English (Woburn); and seniors (now graduates) Joe Grennon (Dedham), Trevor Gove (Billerica), Jack Gallagher (Needham), Max Porten (Acton), Andreas Aluia (Somerville), Chris Roberts (Billerica) and David Olick-Llano (Cambridge).

The Burbank School’s year-long landscape initiative includes an organic vegetable garden as well as the garden classroom. They officially opened with a celebration on June 5.

The following companies, individuals and organizations collaborated to make the landscape initiative at the Burbank School successful (in addition to those mentioned earlier): the Foundation for Belmont Education for grant funding; landscape architect Elizabeth Gourley; Kelly Brothers Landscaping Co. and the Jason Anthony Corp., both of which did site preparation; Martignetti Enterprises, Wagon Wheel Nurseries, Bigelow Nursery, and Mahoney’s for providing discounted landscape materials; ML Fence Co.; the Belmont Department of Public Works and Belmont Public Schools Facilities Department; the Boy Scouts of Belmont Troop 66; the Burbank PTA Landscape Committee and volunteers; Jessie Bennett for designing the garden’s website at BurbankGarden.org; Dr. Clifford and the Burbank teachers, staff, students and families.

“Everyone at Burbank is excited about the new garden,” Dr. Tricia Clifford, Principal of the Burbank School, mentioned. “It will be a place to learn and explore for all of our students. The help we received from everyone, including Minuteman, has been invaluable.”

Minuteman is an award-winning regional high school that gives its graduates a competitive edge in the new global economy by providing them with a high-quality career and technical education, coupled with a rigorous grounding in mathematics, English, science, and social studies. At Minuteman, students can currently major in 19 career and technical education programs at the same time they take rigorous academic courses, similar to those in traditional academic high schools.