Planting with a purpose Students hope to make an impact with new gardening club Laura Masoni
masonlau000@hsestudents.org
Local vegetable garden located in Columbus, Ohio. Photo courtesy of CP Thornton.
T Gardening Club call out meeting: May 5
Graphics by Laura Masoni.
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Tiger Times
his May, FHS will be introducing a new club for any students interested in gardening, the environment, or looking for social opportunities. The club is headed by sophomore student leaders Addie Allgeier and Tseganesh Gregg. “Gardening club is going to be a place for everyone,” Allgeier said. “If you have no gardening experience, if you have tons, it is just to meet together, connect with nature and connect with the community in a low-stress way.” Meetings for the club will offer a diverse range of activities. While the club's focus is on planting for the spring season, it will also offer an opportunity for students to learn and engage in topics surrounding the environment. “We’ll have days where we will be very hands-on like actually planting the stuff, but we will also have days where we might not be doing planting
and we will just do an activity relating to it or we will do something environmental,” Gregg said. Students will also have the opportunity to hear from guest speakers. In the winter months, when planting season is over, English teacher Lori Kixmiller says speakers will come in to talk with members of the club and educate them on topics of gardening and beyond. In addition to gardening, the club will also engage in community outreach with the vegetables and various other plants grown in the gardens they will be planting in. For Gregg, this is what drew her into being a part of the group. “If we grow vegetables and stuff, we will donate that and that for me was something I was very interested in,” Gregg said. “Being able to help the community in that way while also learning a new skill, because gardening isn’t something I’ve done a lot before, I think that that is
good.” Whether you have done gardening for 10 years or 10 minutes, the club strives to create a place where everyone feels included. Kixmiller expresses that the environment will be warm, welcoming and messy. “We will definitely get our hands dirty during growing seasons. During the winter months, I expect other indoor activities,” Kixmiller said. The club does not require a large commitment, but for Gregg, she sees this as an advantage because she believes the reward is much greater. “You are learning how to become more environmentally aware of nature and then also the community around you. It is just really nice to do something for yourself and for others,” Gregg said. Gardening club will have its callout meeting after school May 5. More information and social media will be coming soon.
April 2022
