Saturday, November 7, 2026
Students at Saw Mill Road Elementary School in North Bellmore got their hands dirty Oct. 21 as they joined teachers and volunteers to plant a new native garden designed to promote environmental awareness and hands-on science education.
The school partnered with ReWild Long Island, an organization that helps communities create sustainable green spaces using native plants to support local ecosystems and biodiversity.
District buildings and grounds staff transformed a grassy area near the kindergarten classrooms into a garden featuring more than 60 plants representing seven species, including ferns, great blue lobelia and highbush blueberry bushes.
Samantha Jo-Kotaridis, a project manager with ReWild Long Island, and Emma Diaz, the organization's gardens coordinator, designed the space based on local growing conditions. After a planting demonstration, sixth-grade ambassadors teamed up with their kindergarten buddies to dig holes and plant the greenery.
Assistant Principal Daniel Madden said the project builds on a smaller native garden previously created by technology educator Michael Bevilacqua. Madden and student council members applied for a ReWild grant last year and received approval during the winter.
The garden will serve as an outdoor classroom where students can study native plants, pollinators and the surrounding ecosystem. The school also plans to establish a watering schedule to maintain the garden for future generations of students.
