I am thankful for many things - this place, my students, teachers and staff. But there are some unsung heroes that I am thankful for as well. Two to three times a week Kisha from Easterseals SoCal brings her clients, Jessie, Eric, Duane, and Jeff, to help in the Niemes Elementary School Nature Center and Garden. They take out trash, sweep, weed, and move plant material to the compost. They help to keep our area tidy and leave me with more time for the students. If you happen to see them, please smile and say "Thank you!". I know that they will appreciate it. And they like cookies, by the way...
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Our Nature Center and Garden is 1 acre. I and my students are the sole maintenance crew. Approximately 1/4 of it is devoted to fruits and vegetables, the rest is strictly California Natives, with the exception of a few wind and bird distributed plants - hello rogue tomato! In nature, there are periodic fires and drought that keep plants under control in California. Many have evolved to regrow after fire, or actually need fire to sprout their seeds. Needless to say, setting fire to our Nature Center would be frowned upon! Instead, we fool them by cutting them back in late fall - as though they had been burned by Santa Ana-driven flames. It is, as you can imagine, a massive job. So, kudos to our PTA, our students and our parents for assisting in keeping our Nature Center useable. On November 12th, paths were cleared, overgrown shrubs and cactus removed, and dead tree limbs tossed away. In the fruit and vegetable area, new amendments were added, peas and cilantro planted, and bananas harvested. We hope that everyone enjoyed helping our students learning environment to remain beautiful and useful. If you weren't able to come this time, there will be future opportunities to work and/or visit. See you soon! |
Kathleen IrvineCertified Horticulturist, Artist, Teacher Categories
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