Students and staff members from the Hunterdon Preparatory School, along with volunteers from several community businesses teamed up in late April to kick off a campus beautification project that includes the creation of Hunterdon Prep’s first Community Garden. This work is just the beginning of a multi-phase campus beautification plan designed and donated to the school by Medea Landscape Studio and supported with donations from Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Mendham Garden Centers, and the Giving Garden.
The idea for the Community Garden is an extension of the school’s yearly Earth Day activities. For 25 years Hunterdon Preparatory School has planned yearly events designed to mentor students in the stewardship of our earth. This year’s Community Garden initiative grew from a vision of creating an outdoor garden area where produce and vegetables could be grown for use at the school and for sharing with surrounding communities. It came from the vision of students and community volunteers working together to build and sustain a garden space that will continue to evolve through generations of students who attend Hunterdon Prep and will welcome all who are interested in participating. Toby Ray Loyd, Executive Director, Hunterdon Preparatory School shares, “Our new Community Garden is the result of a sharing of ideas and energy between our staff, students and community supporters. It is a great example of the collaborative spirit of the HPS community, and our passion for sharing our talents and abilities with the Hunterdon County community that supports us.” Specialized Learning Experience Coordinator, Jamie Cappezuto, adds, “Like a growing garden, all of our ideas at HPS start as seedlings from our students and in collaboration with our staff and community supporters, a project that will feed people in mind, body and spirit has begun.”
Hunterdon Prep’s rural campus is an ideal location for a community garden and since the school hosts a robust summer program, students will be able to participate year round in the work required to sustain the garden. HPS plans to use foods reaped from the garden to prepare meals at the school and to contribute fresh produce and vegetables to the surrounding communities. These hands-on projects serve as a valuable tool in educational engagement and benefit our students in the areas of math, science, language arts, and social sciences.
Students and staff at Hunterdon Prep are grateful for the support and generosity of these community partners who are helping to bring the project to fruition: Medea Landscape Studio, Mendham Garden Centers, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, and the Giving Garden. A team of volunteers from Novartis and worked alongside students and staff as part of their Community Partnership Day. Amy Fry, Vice President, Communications and Patient Relations, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation shares, “Community Partnership Day has been a traditional day of volunteer service at Novartis for 20 years, bringing together associates around the world and across functions to support our nonprofit partners and the important work that they do. It’s a fun and rewarding day to volunteer together and support our mission of discovering new ways to extend and improve people's lives.” Hope Atkinson, Hunterdon Prep’s Business Manager sums up this exciting new joint venture, “We all have something we can learn from one another. By working side by side with volunteers from Novartis and Medea Landscape Studios, our students learned not only the practical skill of gardening and landscaping, but also how much can be accomplished in one day when you work together. It is wonderful feeling when you have community partners who are willing to invest their time and share their expertise with our school community.”