Swampscott High planting seeds for multi-use space

SWAMPSCOTT – Students at Swampscott High School are trading their pencils for gardening tools as the new outdoor classroom?s multidisciplinary use begins to bloom.With eight planting beds, three picnic tables, a gardening shed and an amphitheater in the works, STEM Coordinator Brandy Wilbur said students studying everything from environmental science to creative writing will be using the space to plant, compost and reflect. But unlike graded homework assignments, students are truly reaping what they sow.?We?ve been working vigorously to make the place nice and make things grow,” said sophomore Takayla Harris, who is working on the compost pile as a part of her biology class.View photos of the outdoor classOn Thursday, Harris checked the temperature of the compost bin, compiled of scraps from the cafeteria?s salad bar, as a group of creative students picked cherry tomatoes and romaine lettuce from a planting bed across the space. Harris said she?s hoping the compost bin, now just a biology project, will play a larger role in the students? lives in a few years by feeding the plants that will grow the produce served in the cafeteria.?We wouldn?t have to spend money on food; we could grow it right here instead of eating processed, frozen food,” said Harris.Harris? teacher, Lauren Skelton, said although that kind of production is a long way off, it?s a shared dream. The compost pile won?t be added to during the summer, but it will be ready for classes in the fall to possibly add it to the planting beds. “It?s kind of nice because every year, someone new contributes to it,” said Skelton. “You can start the whole thing again next year, and it?s a nice cycle all over again.”The program, in its first year, has the potential to make SHS more sustainable, said Wilbur. Once she gets the go-ahead from the Swampscott Board of Health, the STEM program may feature a “salad day” in the cafeteria, with vegetables all harvested from the garden. “It?s on the radar,” said Wilbur.Skelton added that there was even potential to make a move to all biodegradable materials used for lunch in the cafeteria. “It costs more, but it also makes less trash,” she said. “We are doing this project to show composting makes a difference.”In the meantime, Wilbur has her sights set on the new amphitheatre for the space and is currently seeking donations for the development of it. Donors may purchase 4-by-4-inch brick for $100 or a 4-by-8-inch brick for $250 for the garden?s planned walkway and inscribe a personal or memorial message on the brick.?I think the brick fundraiser will be the way to raise the funds to finish the space,” said Wilbur.Those interested in purchasing a brick can email Wilbur at [email protected] or call 781-596-8830 x 5403.Kait Taylor can be reached at [email protected].