At CASW, we aim for more than being your first summer job – we try to encourage our SYEP participants to be a force for positive change within their communities! This summer – ensconced behind the parking lot of John F. Kennedy Campus in Marble Hill – 40 high schoolers have spent the past weeks restoring the “Enchanted Garden;” a three-quarter-acre space that is now teeming with new life. The participants, who largely come from Bronx Theatre High School and Marble Hill High School for International Studies, have spent the past month removing weeds and planting vegetables. Once the crops are ready to harvest (within a few short weeks), they even plan to sell at a local farmer’s market!!!
Reclaiming a Forgotten Bronx Green Space
Back in the 90s, the garden was once a thriving greenspace in the heart of Marble Hill; but due to the John F. Kennedy campus dividing into different schools and a subsequent lack of upkeep, the garden soon fell into disrepair as invasive species of ivy began to creep in and soil erosion kept plants from growing healthy. Osvaldo Montas, the science teacher at Bronx Theatre High School, has worked on the Enchanted Garden during his time as a student in 1997: “I was here since I was 14, all my formative years in high school were in this garden.” Montas was able to secure a grant from the Food Education Fund, which he used to plan the garden’s restoration. Montas would later approach Shalem Borja, a program coordinator for CASW who works with Kennedy students, with the idea to make the garden a worksite for SYEP participants. “Our hope is just that they get familiar [with the garden], and it gets them wanting to work with the community.”
Youth at the Heart of the Restoration
Of course, working in the garden means that youth are giving back by beautifying the community, but this project also holds personal significance for them. Many have expressed the personal impact working on the garden has made on their lives and what it could mean for the future. Sapphire Wright, a high school junior, says “I like how much of a community we all are …We all manage to put our differences aside and focus on nature.” Senior Asher Ramirez believes that these new relationships are the best part of working on the garden; “Thirty years ago there were multiple people working in this space in unison – it would be so cool, not just for us students on campus to work here, but volunteers in general, so you could build that connection with other people.”
Despite the worksite only operating for over a month, they’re already making waves. The story of these dedicated students and their mentors was featured in the Riverdale Press. Who knows what else is in store for the Enchanted Garden – and its caretakers?
