One of the spacious courtyards at Webster Thomas High School has come alive with flowers, plants, bees and birds, thanks to hard work by the Webster Thomas Earth Club, and the Thomas community.
Back in January, Maia Sutherland, a member of Earth Club, suggested creating a garden somewhere at the school. The Earth Club could sponsor, build and maintain it, and it would be a nice outdoor area for students to enjoy. Two of the school’s three large courtyards were already being frequented by students; one has an outdoor stage, the other a gazebo. So the club decided to put the gardens in the remaining courtyard, which is the smallest of the three, and rarely used.
Earth Club president Ben Verplank remembers that at the time, the club was beginning to plan a school-wide Earth Week celebration, so the garden project was put on the back burner. The week-long event, held in April, was a huge undertaking, including fund-raising events, dress-up theme days, a houseplant workshop and a thrift fair. At the end of the busy week, club advisor Melanie Drury suggested the students take a bit of a break. Maybe a week or two of not actually planning something would help the club recharge.
Verplank had other ideas. “On Monday Ben came in and said, ‘I’ve designed the whole garden,'” Drury said. About a month later, after a lot of hard work and not a little sweat and grime, the sketched-out plans became a reality.
The completed garden is actually two separate beds, together encompassing perhaps 500 or 600 square feet. They hold more than two dozen different kinds of plants — tall grasses, hardy perennials, bushes, young trees, milkweed, roses, lilacs, chrysanthemums, lamb’s ear and many more. There are two benches, both built by the district’s GeoTech class, a bee house and some birdhouses. Many of the plants and building materials were purchased with money raised at fundraising events, but many others were donated.
While the gardens were originally proposed and planned by the Earth Club, their completion has really been a Webster Thomas team effort. Earth Club members, of course, took the lead, but they were assisted by other students, some of whom pitched in as part of a post-AP exam community service project required by science AP Environmental teacher Jaret Schug.
“That really helped motivate people,” Ben said. Everyone volunteered at least three times to fulfill the terms of the project, “but by the end of it people just wanted to be outside and enjoy making the garden.”
“There were days when they were working out there in the pouring rain, and when it was super hot,” Drury added.
Staff members donated more than half of the plantings, and have volunteered to make sure the gardens are watered over the summer. Art students have painted two fanciful planters, which have been placed next to one of the benches. So basically, from the very beginning, the gardens have been, and still are, a true Webster Thomas community effort.
Students have already begun using the space, finding it a more reflective environment than the other two busier courtyards. Teachers in the classrooms surrounding the space have been very supportive, one even asking if it could be expanded next year down closer to her room.
Several Earth Club members are heading off to college next year, but they’re still thinking ahead to how the gardens can be improved and expanded.
“Next fall Mrs. Drury and Earth Club are going to plant tulip bulbs,” Verplank said, and they’d like to ask GeoTech to make a few more benches. The hope is that eventually the grassy area between the two garden beds can be used as an outdoor classroom.
In the meantime, though, Thomas students and staff members have had a quiet place to relax during these last few stressful weeks of the school year.
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(posted 6/16/2023)
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I wonder if alumni of RLT could help in ways with this. When we have class reunions, I think taking donations towards this would be great! To all who gave time and their talents in creating this, are to be commended!!
What a great idea!
We watched this entire project from first dig to last watering through our classroom window! It’s been awesome to see these students work so hard for something that so many people will be able to enjoy for years to come. So many people hear or talk about the negative associated with high school students today. Here’s a big positive! Thanks for recognizing them and highlighting this story!
Thanks for spotlighting this. Ben is our son. This is what he loves and is pursuing a Landscape Architecture degree at ESF this upcoming fall. He worked very hard with his classmates to make it a space all can enjoy for years to come.
A very nice young man, your Ben. I was very impressed. He really knows his stuff!