BY RAIN DERLIN
On June 1, the Environmental, Pride, and Garden clubs, as well as OBHS Fights Hunger, collaborated in weeding out the garden in the courtyard.
Senior and President of OBHS Fights Hunger, Matea Mandic started with the idea for the garden, and partnered with the Department of Family and Community Health Sciences at Rutgers University to build the beds and expand the mission of OBHS Fights Hunger to include nutrition and healthy eating. Mandic said, “OBHS Fights Hunger’s mission has been to address food insecurity in our community… What better way, we thought, than to build our own garden and provide fresh vegetables to our local food bank.”
The recent collaboration with the Pride club occurred purely by chance. Students from the Pride club happened to be by the courtyard and decided to lend a hand to the other clubs weeding out the garden. “They just meshed together,” club advisor Ms. Kortland said about the students’ joint effort. “It’s a beautiful thing.”
Hauser Farms generously donated plants for the cause as well. The Environmental Club later reached out to join forces on making the garden a success. The garden offers an opportunity to students who wish to get involved and see their work pay off. Junior and president of the Environmental club, Mimi Pham, said “It’s a good way to learn how to be more sustainable and how to grow plants at home.”
Over the summer, committed members of the clubs, custodial staff, and some administrators will visit the garden to water, weed, and maintain it. In the future, the clubs intend to continue caring for the garden and harvesting the plants grown. They also plan to develop a watering system.
Pham said she “would like to thank the administration, Ms. Mackey and everybody helping out for their hard work! We wouldn’t have been able to do this without them.” Students can join the Remind @obhsga for updates or reach out directly to Mimi Pham or Matea Mandic for more information.
Posted on 6/15/22
Photos provided by Mimi Pham
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