Analyzing soil to create healthy school gardens and restore pollinator habitat

Acerca de la Comunidad

The High School for Teaching and the Professions (HSTP) and Start:Empowerment (S:E) are partnering to create a school garden on the Walton Campus that will provide students with a green space and communal produce. Through afterschool and summer programming led by S:E, students will design and maintain the garden. HSTP students are the target audience, as they have the infrastructure for student leaders to be involved. Students from other Walton Campus schools are welcome to participate.

HSTP and S:E have partnered on a number of initiatives to develop youth leadership skills and introduce climate and environmental justice into school activities and learning. Initiatives include an award-winning Food Justice curriculum and environmental justice modules that introduce students to environmental issues and sustainability initiatives.

High School for Teaching and the Professions is a public school in the Bronx, NY with a student population of over 500 students. Black and Hispanic students make up the majority of the student body. The green space would involve students from the Science Club, Sustainability Club, and Girl Talk – a club for girls to connect and build community. The gardens will be stewarded by HSTP students and students from all 5 Walton Campus schools would be involved. HSTP is one of five high schools located on the Walton Campus. Student leaders from HSTP will lead outreach efforts to encourage participation from students at the remaining schools.

Start:Empowerments focuses on transformative justice education, developing climate justice leadership, and community and grassroots organizing, linking education programs to action.

Sobre el proyecto

The goal of this project is to assess the soil health for 2-3, possibly more, in-ground pollinator gardens. Before planting, S:E and HSTP want to know if the garden locations have a history of soil contamination. To reduce human health risks, understandable and comprehensive soil information needs to be available to the school and community.

Start:Empowerment (S:E) and HSTP students envision collecting soil samples from each of the selected pollinator garden locations. Students will use this information to explore the legacy of environmental pollution in their neighborhood and develop strategies to restore the soil, creating a healthy habitat for plants and pollinators.

Additionally, the project aims to establish a monitoring protocol for assessing soil health in both the pollinator and vegetable gardens. This protocol will serve as an educational tool within science classes and urban agriculture and food justice programming. Monitoring will indicate which nutrients, and nutrient amounts need to be added. The science, student commitment, and school support will create a thriving green space.

S:E is partnering with the school to build leadership skills and empower students to tackle environmental and climate justice issues. This initiative allows students to design and implement their vision for enhancing their school community. The garden will serve as a restorative space for all high schools on the Walton Campus and the surrounding community and function as a living classroom for environmental science projects such as air quality, water quality, and soil monitoring. One student noted that the school emphasizes leadership and community care, and the garden fosters an inclusive community that nurtures both its members and the environment through food and stewardship.

Calendario e hitos

• Spring 2025 – select garden location, develop site design
• Summer (July – August:) build garden beds, transplant vegetable starts, plant seeds, begin composting,
• Fall (September- December): soil testing in areas selected to be pollinator gardens, researching native plants and their pollinators, starting native plants such as milkweed.
• Winter (December-March): students present results of soil testing and the site’s history to the school, determine how to prepare soil for spring planting.
• Spring 2026 (April-June): spring pollinator planting

Líderes comunitarios

Destiny Tullis is a 24 year old STEAM educator, urban farmer, and multimedia designer from New Jersey. They have a degree in Urban Placemaking and Environmental Design from New York University, Gallatin. Destiny is the Youth Leadership and Education Coordinator at Start:Empowerment, planning and implementing critical environmental and climate justice education through summer programs, leadership and career development opportunities, and community work.

Seth Gilman is a New York City teacher. He is starting his 23rd year in the New York City Department of Education, 21 years in the Bronx and 2 years in Harlem. He graduated from New York University Steinhart School of Education with a master’s degree in History Education grades 7-12. He grew up gardening with his mother and has a passion for planting.

Científico comunitario

Karen Guzman is an Urban Gardens Specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension on the HarvestNY regional team. Her work focuses on providing technical assistance to urban growers across NYC and Long Island. Prior to her role with Cornell, she has worked on and managed various urban farming spaces for the past 10 years. She specializes in soil health and crop planning to maximize space and yield. Karen is currently enrolled in obtaining her Master of Science in Earth and Environmental Science at Brooklyn College.

Becario científico comunitario

Sara Melena is a communication specialist with the National Park Service Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Directorate. She works with resource managers and interpreters to communicate science and stewardship topics. She also applies social science and communication theory to influence stewardship behaviors such as safe wildlife viewing, proper food storage, and reef-friendly sun protection. Sara has a Master of Science in Human Dimensions of Natural Resources from Colorado State University and an undergraduate degree in Urban Studies and Planning from the University of California, San Diego. She has been with the National Park Service since 2007.

The High School for Teaching and Professions mission: In partnership with families and community stakeholders, is focused on ensuring students’ skills are developed, their learning experiences are inclusive, re imagined, respectful, and challenging, enabling them to feel confident as they take on the opportunities in career, education and life.

Start:Empowerment Mission: To empower youth of color to innovate, imagine, and build a just and sustainable future.