An eco-friendly school education

Hewlett High School’s Youth Leadership Forum (YLF), a student group that pushed for the community green market that began last June in Grant Park in Hewlett, is currently drafting plans for their newest idea to build a garden on the Hewlett House’s property.

YLF students and their advisor, Hewlett High School Social Studies teacher David Rifkind, presented the idea for the garden to the Board of Education at the April 3 work meeting. The board approved the plans for the garden at the April 17 regular meeting.

The Hewlett-Woodmere Public Schools Endowment Fund, who sponsored the green market, also decided to fund a $4,585 grant along with a $2,000 grant from HSBC Bank

Melissa Gates, Central Council PTA co-president, attended the Board of Education work meeting and thought the YLF’s plan for a garden is a great idea. “I thought they had a well laid out and thought through plan for the garden,” she said. “[Central Council] was excited by the idea when we heard about it and will help support it in any way we can.”

According to Rifkind, the YLF partnered with the Cornell Cooperative Extension, which aims to provide programs and resources to improve New York families, farms, businesses and communities. The garden will have a total of seven raised beds that will have an assortment of vegetables such as carrots, potatoes and tomatoes.

To help shrink the eco-footprint, Rifkind would like to work with local restaurants to purchase the fresh vegetables from their garden. “We would like to see more local restaurants use locally grown vegetables,” he said.

Gates said the garden would be great for the community. “The possibilities are endless,” she said. “Providing produce to local restaurants and maybe a local food pantry could be a positive thing for students.”

Sara Abikzer has worked in the Hewlett-Woodmere community for 12 years has lived behind the Hewlett House and the garden’s soon-to-be home for nine years and said it’s nice to see something done to better the community and beautify the area. “If it will help the community and be a place for children, it will make my family and I happy,” she said.

Although Abikzer supports her community, she wishes someone had contacted her and her neighbors about the April 3 garden presentation. “It sounds like the [Youth Leadership Forum] has been planning this for months already and because of the planning it took for these students it would’ve been nice to hear the presentation for what they plan to make back there,” she said.

“I’m just concerned about the hours of operation and what will be going on there. When I walk into my house I’m looking at a parking lot, red light and turf field. Am I happy the property was cleaned up? Yes. Should it be cleaned up more? Yes. But I haven’t seen any proposals.”

Incorporating the garden into the Hewlett-Woodmere School District’s curriculum is already taking place. Franklin Early Childhood Center students will be introduced to gardening by planting lettuce, basil and spinach. At the elementary and middle school level, students plant seedlings and measure their growth while learning about nutrition.

The Advanced Placement Environmental Science class at the high school is already planning a garden unit for May. “Harvesting from the garden can further support record keeping, measurement, soil testing, and varied experimentation,” Rifkind said.

Students from the YLF will be in charge of caring for the garden and ensuring its maintenance. “YLF hopes to include other students, community volunteers, parents of students, and other interested community members who would like to work with us,” Rifkind said.

A community meeting for residents who are interested in partnering with Youth Leadership Forum and the Cornell Cooperative Extension for the garden will take place on Wednesday, May 2, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Hewlett High School, 60 Everit Ave. in Hewlett.