by Paolo Mossetti  

Bronx students might soon enjoy the pleasures of farming!

Kingsbridge International School is converting its once decaying backyard into a multi-functional, prosperous garden. The renovated space will give students the chance to grow and eat organic food, learn how plant life works and even take care of a chicken coop. 

Tired of seeing students ignore where grown food actually comes from, school principal Ronald Foreman decided that the time had come to bring some green into classes.

“I first started growing veggies in the garden of a Lower East Side school years ago,” said Foreman. “When kids saw me picking and eating our own cherry tomatoes, they almost freaked out. They really thought all homegrown food was poisonous. City people almost don’t know how nature works anymore.”

But Kingsbridge works differently. Now each class has its own “grow cart,” where plant trays are illuminated by artificial light. Dozens of pots contain prime quality, natural seeds for zucchini, red pepper, tomatoes, and cilantro. The greens will then be transplanted into the backyard, where teachers and students are already working side by side to clear old grass.

“Seeing their own seeds grow is a unique experience for these kids,” said Foreman, a former science teacher. “We want kids to learn about healthy eating, healthy natural processes.”

Students aged between 13 and 21 are volunteering several days a week, weekends and holidays to be part of this transformation process. Several teams hoe, prune and sow under the supervision of the teachers, rotating each responsibility to gain a well-rounded experience.

The idea was partially financed by the school’s institutional budget and by Donors Choose, a nonprofit, last year.

“We planted 720 plants in one week. Everything is organic, non GMO,” said teacher Andrew Pecunia, who applied for the grant. “Everything can seed again and we can get seeds from it.”

Soon eggs will be hatched, too.

“We have between 15 and 20 chickens coming in,” said Leonardo Iglesias Carusso, ESL teacher, who proudly guides visitors through the renovated backyard. “We had contractors helping us build a coop, with most materials coming from Home Depot. Several greenhouses are already in construction.”

At the end of the school year, when vegetables will be ripe for harvest, students, teachers and parents will get together for a school health fair, during which the produce will be incorporated into the cafeteria and distributed to the students’ families. “It’s a celebration of an academic experience that links with daily community experiences,” said Carusso.

The idea is to make the process go full cycle, and then repeat it on a regular basis, with new seeds that will be sowed at the beginning of each season. “We are positive these funds can help us sustain the project for about four of five years,” said Foreman.

Part of the Walton Educational Complex, Kingsbridge International School has a tradition of promoting green politics in the neighborhood. “Three or four years ago we did the entire area with roses, out front,” said Foreman, showing off another garden. “It’s an ongoing process of renovation and students are incredibly enthusiastic about it. We are sure this could be a great opportunity for them to learn more about nature than they would normally do in their everyday city life.”