Community Comes Together To Make
Elbridge Gale’s Garden Grow D Story by Lauren Miró Photos by Abner Pedraza
eep seeds have been planted at Elbridge Gale Elementary School in Wellington — seeds that will blossom into a better future as each child who passes through the doors of the school learns important environmental lessons.
For Pasterczyk, a garden project was on the top of her list for the school. “We had some gardens in disrepair,” she recalled. “It was a match made in heaven. Unbeknownst to Tom, this was one of the plans we had for the school. But we had limited funds.”
On Saturday, Sept. 28, volunteers, school leaders, parents and children came together to celebrate the Green Apple Day of Service, building a beautiful garden where children can plant seeds, watch them grow and harvest their plants, all while learning crucial lessons.
After many meetings, it was decided the garden revitalization would be set for the national Green Apple Day of Service. It was also an opportunity to propel Elbridge Gale to become a Green School of Excellence. “We’ve been a Green School of Quality,” Pasterczyk said. “In order to jump to the next level, you need a project that the community can get involved with.”
The event was made possible in part by the Wellington Preservation Coalition, which donated funds for the Aquaponics system and materials. School officials are hopeful the project will earn Elbridge Gale a Green School of Excellence designation. Wellington Preservation Coalition Executive Director Tom Wenham approached Elbridge Gale Principal Gail Pasterczyk with the idea, which grew out of the 2013 Florida Green, Energy & Climate Conference. There, Wenham met with Wellington Projects Manager Mike O’Dell, who was looking for a school garden to use as a model for a new soil project, and Wenham immediately thought of Elbridge Gale. He met with Pasterczyk, who was enthusiastic about the idea.
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November 2013 |wellington the magazine|
And this project truly brought out the entire community, from representatives of the Village of Wellington, Palm Beach County and the Wellington Garden Club to parents, teachers, students and business leaders. For Wenham, the project brought back fond memories of his childhood, when he’d pick fresh fruits and vegetables. “I thought, ‘Why can’t we still be doing the same thing today?’” he said. “We wanted the kids to see we mean business and are really invested in this. The Aquaponics system is great because it can show kids that their food doesn’t come from [the grocery store]. We want them to know they can grow their own vegetables and eat what they grow.”