Cross Country Elementary School Gardens
In order to enhance science curricula for elementary aged students, teachers across the country are incorporating environmental education in the classroom. Locally, the Irvine Nature Center supports teachers at dozens of schools in the Baltimore area with their Schoolyard Discovery Program. Unfortunately, at many of these schools there are few opportunities to take students outside and teach them about nature because the school grounds are primarily asphalt, mowed grass, and a few badly-pruned shrubs.
To improve these conditions, the Neighborhood Design Center has been working with Irvine to prepare plans for school gardens and tree plantings at many of these schools, including Cross Country Elementary in Northwest Baltimore. In 2004, NDC volunteer Ryan Johnson, from Mahan Rykiel Associates, worked with a class of fourth and fifth graders to create a habitat garden. Students worked in teams to develop their own designs for the garden, preparing "posters" that included plans, drawings, and descriptive text. The students' designs were then synthesized by the volunteer into a final plan. Hundreds of children planted the garden in the Spring of 2005 as part of Baltimore Green Week.
Subsequent projects included two rain gardens and a raised vegetable garden. Finally, in 2007 NDC volunteer David Fielder, from Hord Coplan Macht, worked with teachers to prepare plans for an outdoor classroom that would be an extension of one of the earlier rain gardens. The school is currently raising funds to implement the project.
Cross Country Elementary is now one of a handful of Baltimore City Schools with Maryland Green School designation. Additionally, nearly $15,000 in funding and in-kind support was leveraged as a result of NDC's assistance. The school has also expanded its efforts to build partnerships with Jones Falls Watershed Association to remove asphalt at the school and replace it with grass and trees, as well as help with projects to improve the Western Run.
Project Completion: 2007
Project Location: 6100 Cross Country Boulevard Baltimore, MD
NDC Volunteers: Ryan Johnson, Mahan Rykiel Associates; David Fielder, Hord Coplan Macht