ATCO, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — A Camden County middle school is celebrating as students return and its courtyard garden reopens. It’s not just planted flowers and vegetables that are growing there.
Winslow Middle School’s courtyard was a garden of weeds when students returned in-person in March. Environmental STEM teacher Ross Cruz said it didn’t take long for students and teachers to pitch in and clear the beds to make way for flowers and vegetables.
But he said it was more than that.
“They started to have conversations, which was such a challenge to have them do remotely," said Cruz.
"I gotta tell you, I tell the kids I'm not super emotional, but I got emotional. There, just to see that social, emotional learning, that connection with people.”
Eighth grader Cynai Clayton started in the garden last year. This year, she has become like a mentor to the seventh graders.
“Looking back at how I was last year, so interested and open minded because I didn't know a lot when I first came in, so it was kind of cool for them to learn from us in a way," Clayton said.
"In the beginning you don't think that you're going to be this person who's going to speak to kids younger than you.”
Cruz said the garden has become much more than a place to grow plants.
“It’s the heart of our school, it’s accessible to everyone and it’s a powerful place," said Cruz.
Cruz said the garden was founded five years ago as a way to teach sustainability and environmental science. It was abandoned during the pandemic, but this spring, it came back to life.
A school wide weed-pulling got the garden back in shape and created connection.
“Listening to and watching the students, they said to me, ‘This is awesome. This is amazing. We're outside, we're talking to our peers, and this is something I wouldn't normally want to ever do. But this is so much better than being stuck in the four walls, staring at a screen typing on a computer,'” said Cruz.
Eighth grader Alyvia Janicki is finishing up her second year in the program. She helped plant tomatoes, basil, lettuce and other vegetables when they got back to in-person learning.
“Being back in the classroom, especially in the garden. Everyone's true personality comes out and we can just see, everyone is so happy," said Janicki.
"It's really cool because we have all been longing for that human connection.”
Cruz explained the sensory connection as well.
“It's addressing all the senses," he said.
"They're being able to touch, smell, feel, see. It's addressing the social emotional learning, which is a big part of what we're trying to focus on.”
He said because of the success of the program, a new 1,500 hundred square foot greenhouse will be installed in the coming weeks. Cruz said that will allow for hydroponics and other garden techniques to be used in the future.