Reflections

As the new year approaches, I think back to all the accomplishments and challenges from the last year and a half with Urban Sprouts.  The change I have seen at Aptos Middle School has been dramatic – a beautiful garden mural, families with their own plots at the school, a new garden visible to all who walk or drive past the school, and an increase in the number of students we reach from approximately 35 to 180 budding gardeners.  At Ida B. Wells High School, new beds were created, compost bins were built, an irrigation system as well as a thriving bee hive were installed, and friendships with staff were formed.  Being a garden educator has had its challenges, though.  Older students always seem to be more reluctant to get their hands and white shoes dirty; the “cool” factor is a force to contend with.  Hauling and shoveling compost, mulch, and manure by hand and by zipcar reminds us of the labor involved in maintaining not just one garden, but six to seven.  Washing and lugging piles of dishes, cookware, and ingredients from one classroom to another left me winded at the end of the day.  It is with these images that I leave my family at Urban Sprouts to embark on a new adventure with my husband and a little one on the way.  I know my schools and my students are in good hands, though, with Raul, an Urban Sprouts student alumni (!) joining the team.  It is with many fond memories – aha moments from students, watching them taste and grow good food, and witnessing the power of community action – that I look forward to all the changes 2011 promises to bring.