Rules:

1. No student is to be in the garden unless there is an adult or a garden manager

2. No one is to be in the garden unless it is open for public use. If the gate is locked, anyone in the garden will be considered as a trespasser.

3. Food waste must go into the garbage can at the gate, and the lid securely shut. Rodents occasionally make this garden a home, and improperly disposed food wastes only give rodents more reason to stick around.

4. There is to be no smoking of tobacco or any other substances in the garden.

5. This is an alcohol free environment. No alchoholic beverages are to be consumed in the garden under any circumstances.

6. Dogs, unleashed or leashed are not permitted anywhere in the garden.

7. This is meant to be a refuge from the noise of the city. Please do not play any loud music while in the garden.

8. The barbecue grill is not to be used unless permission is granted from Mr. Thoman or a garden manager.

9. Feel free to pick some vegetables or fruit if any is in season, but please keep in mind that you are not the only one who enjoys the products of this garden.

10. On the other hand, please do not pick any flowers or any other plant material without consulting with Mr. Thoman or a garden manager.

11. Please stay on the paths, and avoid taking shortcuts through the flower beds. You could easily be stepping on something that has just been planted.

12. Please enjoy your visit and come back again!

Some basic things to know about our garden!

Welcome to the Enchanted Garden! Now ten years old, the garden has become a focal point of Kennedy High School and the other schools on the Kennedy campus. Thanks to our sponsors GreenThumb and Bronx GreenUp, we have been able to build this garden. None of this would have been possible without them: the technical assistance, the tools needed to dig the earth, the lumber for our fence and other structures, and of course, the hundreds of plants, and thousands of seeds comes to us thanks to them.

Even more important, none of this would be here, if it were not for the support of our local government officials: Former Councilwoman June Eisland and State Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, both of whom have offered a helping hand when it came time to dealing with gaining a lease for this land.

Only one hundred years ago, Spuyten Duyvil Creek flowed through this valley, connecting the Harlem and Hudson Rivers. Humans have lived along these marshy waters for centuries, beginning with the Native Americans, and into this century, a small community known as Spuyten Duyvil village was about a hundred yards west of here. Remnants of this land’s historty, natural and human, abound everywhere, from the cat tails in our wetlands, to the foundations of old homes behind our school. Take note that since this garden is now situated more on the east bank of the now filled-in streambed, we are technically in the borough of Manhattan.

This garden was the brainchild of a few members of the Environmental Club in 1995. It all began with a clean-up of this long-neglected vacant lot by students long disgusted with having to look at discarded refrigerators and tires on their way to school every day. Now, after years of countless hours of planning and working the land, students have created a true eden, or better yet, an Enchanted Garden.

To some eyes, the garden may appear a finished work. Such is not the case. This is very much a work in progress. Every summer, thanks to a grants from the Hudson River Foundation, the Philanthropic Collaborative, and GreenThumb, students have worked on various projects, whether it involves building a pond or a greenhouse.

Not to mention, we will continue to make this garden a valuable educational resource for the community, by offering instructional links between our studnets and PS 7, PS 86, and Columbia Prep Schools, and offering more horticulture and environmental science courses at Kennedy.

Please take a stroll, and you are bound to find many pleasant surprises on this half-acre plot. Enjoy!

Anthony Thoman, Faculty Advisor, 2004

Garden Management Team for 2003-2004

President: Edwin Sanchez
Vice President: Kelvin Fabian, Crystal Mac
Secretary: Stephanie Nolasco
Treasurer: Santiago Mendoza

Garden Manager: Carlos Cabrera, Celia Dubin, and Joel Ramirez
Faculty Advisers: Mr. Thoman

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