A Year of Expansion

Also view these pages in the 1996-7 photo album!

• Building our bridge
• Our Totem Pole

Marcos Santiago, President

The second year of the garden was going to be as busy as the first. The fence building and pathmaking kept everyone busy right up till December. With a lull in action, leading members of the Environmental Club discussed what could be done in the coming year to make the garden even better yet. One major wish of the membership was to build a bridge that would span our wetlands, and allow visitors a closer view of this otherwise hidden, wildlife rich spot. Enlisting the help of the school shop teacher, Paul Witmer, the club was able to design and build a sturdy bridge that would last for many years to come. This project also demonstrated how the garden could be used as an incubator for class activities, as Mr. Witmer had students in his classes measure, cut the pieces, and finally, assemble the bridge. Other activities in this school year included the installation of a totem pole on the highest hill in the garden, planting hundreds of daffodil and tulip bulbs throughout the garden, and constructing raised beds for growing vegetables.

Membership grew exponentially this year, with well over 100 members in the Environmental Club. Marcos Santiago provided the creative and enthusiastic leadership, while John Nieves and David Mercado were the muscle behind the scenes, putting in hours of drilling, pick axing, hammering, and shoveling. Also key this year were Tyrone Acosta, Anastasia Bakoulis, Nara Chhua, Avril Davis, Alex Feliz, Philip Fuentes, Joseph Gonzalez, Shamsul Islam, Alyssa Katz, Elizabeth Kim, Alice Li, James McCaskill, Rony Thomas, Jessica Torres, James Underdue, Huoy Ung, Engels Valenzuela, and Hing Fei Wong.

Elizabeth Mercado prepping soil in our new herb beds

View an article about being awarded our first grant

from The Riverdale Press