About this Site

When the Enchanted Garden was established in 1996, few of us knew much about the internet, and fewer of us made use of this medium. Little did we know when this garden was created, how important this technology would be for our continued growth and success.

This site would never have gotten off it's feet if it weren't for Evagelia Bakoulis (to the right: now at Manhattan College), Jason Nicalau (now at New York University), Ebby Agu (now at SUNY- Binghamton), and Rayal Johnson (now at M.I.T.): four students who worked many hours outside of school to create a web site for the garden. This site can still be viewed today. The faculty adviser for the club, Mr. Thoman quickly saw how instrumental this site was for many reasons: attracting new members, showing off our accomplishments to the unitiated, providing an educational resource for teachers hoping to set up gardens at other schools, and finally, giving our students a new creative and educational outlet, with our garden and internet technology providing that perfect nexus.
For the last few years, Mr. Thoman encouraged Evagelia and other students to improve and update the site, but could only view it's development from afar. Seeing the potential the site could hold in the future, and eager to play a more substantial role in the development of the site, he took a sabbatical from teaching for the 2001-2 academic year to learn more about web design at the New School's Computer Instruction Center.Throughout the school year, Mr. Thoman worked with various members of the club to try out new ideas and work with some of the new technolgies at his disposal: ranging from a digital camera, a scanner, Adobe and Macromedia software, and two G3 Macintosh computers in Room 610. Using many of the elements of the original site set up by Evagelia and her classmates, Mr. Thoman sought to build a new site from the ground up. While the basic structure of this site was largely planned by Mr. Thoman, it is his hope that he has only provided a rough framework with which the site can take on new layers, and become increasingly a vehicle for the students, and much like the garden itself, become a student-driven enterprise. Ideally this site will provide students with opportunities to learn the kinds of technological and communication skills associated with web design, and on a broader level, give them another way to express themselves within the context of the Youth Gardening and Environmental movements.

Purpose of this site:

  1. Keeping students and teachers at Kennedy High School aware of the activities of the Environmental Club: As it is hard to get word out on various events and meetings to the general population at Kennedy due to chaotic homerooms, and no way to effectively post signs in the building, this site can be used as an alternative way to disseminate any relevant information. It is also hoped that uninitiated students in the school view this site, and as a result, choose to get involved with the Environmental Club. Students can view our calendar to see what is currently going on in the club. They can also see what their classmates have done in the past to get ideas as to what kinds of activities they can plan for the future.
  2. Showing off our accomplishments to the unitiated: As many newcomers or outsiders to Kennedy don't know how the garden came to be, a History section has been set up. Students have devoted countless hours to the garden in past years, and their efforts are not going to be buried - thanks to this web site. To add, we are happy to show off this highly unique garden, one that manages to incorporate all types of ecosystems in less than one acre: such that we often regard our lot more as a nature center, not just as a community garden. Last, this site will also be a fun place for alumni to visit, to travel down memory lane.
  3. Providing an educational resource for teachers interested in using the garden for their classes, and to teachers hoping to set up gardens at thier own schools: As more and more teachers bring their classes down to the Enchanted Garden, they are often looking for new ideas for educational activities in the garden. Student work is posted on this site, and this body of work could provide ideas for edcuational activities in the garden. For teachers hoping to set up gardens at their own schools, this site should be of enormous help. We have a substantial archive of past photos that effectively chronicle the ups and downs of setting up and maintaining a schoolyard garden. We also have a series of pages that outlines the different facets of our garden, and how they are managed.
  4. Giving our students a new creative and educational outlet: Our garden has been grist for all types of student-oriented projects. Whether they are compelled to draw, write poetry, or develop an educational web page, the beautiful and natural world of the Enchanted Garden has inspired dozens of students in the past years to create an impressive collective body of work. Some of these creations are highlighted on this site. With our kids growing up in the super charged urbanized world of New York City, the Enchanted Garden is often the only quiet refuge our students can easily access, and it is in this tranquil environment that they come up with some of their best ideas.

Of course, this site could mean more than this. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Enjoy this site. We welcome your feedback at any time!

 

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