Summer Gardens in Old Harbor/Mary Ellen McCormack

by Rick Winterson

Summer has arrived. This article was written yesterday; the 2023 Summer Solstice took place at 10:58 p.m. last night. Even though summer just began, the extensive gardens in the Old Harbor/Mary Ellen McCormack Project are already producing oceans of leafy green vegetables, which might just be the most nourishing food you can possibly eat. These greens include kale, arugula, bok choy, lettuce, spinach, and leaves of beets. And, of course, they are absolutely fresh-picked, from 10:30 until noontime every Thursday morning, right at the place you go to buy them! Just head for Sterling Square in the Project on that day and at that time. You can also find more freshly grown goods in the second Project Garden, located near Moakley Park Field House across Columbia/Old Colony Avenue.

These gardens are the work of the Round Table, Inc., a social group founded by George Benner and staffed by young residents of the Old Harbor/ Mary Ellen McCormack Project. George himself is a Project resident; during the wintertime, Round Table, Inc., has many indoor activities. But according to George, in the summertime all Round Table activities are focused on gardening. Just one simple fact: the amount of fresh vegetables grown in these gardens each and every summer is measured in TONS!

As you go through the gardens, you’ll see that each individual growing plot is raised, carefully trimmed and weeded, and heavy with edible produce. It’s quite a sight. These plots add up to approximately 50,000 square feet under cultivation, which is more than an acre of growth. To make the gardens even more attractive, many pollinated flowering plants are blossoming in small patches to one side or another. Visit the gardens, walk along them, and enjoy the flashes of red, yellow, and purple you’ll see. About 200 tomato plants will ripen as July progresses; you’ll find squash and cucumbers in August. And know that you can get credited for your purchases on your EBT card that will lead to SNAP or HIP reimbursements later on. Besides nourishment, although that’s very important, George Brenner believes there is a more significant meaning to the Round Table’s gardens. He believes that public gardens like these bring Old Harbor/ Mary Ellen McCormack a much stronger sense of

“community” - community that includes everyone who comes to buy their fresh vegetables from the gardens. To describe this, George uses the word “personalism”, a feeling for others that begins with face-to-face interactions in the Project’s gardens.

Boston Common Frog Pond Spray Pool Opens June 27

Mayor Michelle Wu, Boston Parks Commissioner

Ryan Woods, and The Skating Club of Boston are pleased to welcome children and their caregivers to kick off the 2023 summer wading season as the Boston Common Frog Pond spray pool reopens on Tuesday, June 27. The wading pool opening is made possible by title sponsor Bank of America and presenting sponsors College H.U.N.K.S. Hauling Junk & Moving and H.P. Hood LLC. The event will include a fun and exciting celebration at 11 a.m. followed by the opening of the spray pool.

In addition to activities from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., residents can enjoy tasty treats and a visit from official mascot Frog Pond Freddie. Contributing sponsors include Polar Beverages, New England Dairy Council, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, and SourCan, with additional support from PROJECT Melanoma.

Also participating will be the Boston Police ice cream truck,

Mass Audubon, the Boston Public Library Chinatown Branch, Read Boston, and Science from Scientists. For more information visit www. boston.gov/frog-pond-opening.

A year-round recreational facility, the Frog Pond offers ice skating in the winter, a spray pool and supervised wading for youth in the summer, and the Carousel from spring through fall. Information on additional activities offered at the Frog Pond can be found by visiting www.bostonfrogpond.com.

The Frog Pond spray pool is open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. until Labor Day. The facility is managed by The Skating Club of Boston and staffed by youth workers from the Boston Youth Fund. For further information, please call the Frog Pond at (617) 635-2120.

To stay up to date with news, events, and design and construction work in Boston Parks, sign up for our email list at bit.ly/GetParks-Emails and follow our social channels @bostonparksdept on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

2022-2023 has been another fabulous school year here at South Boston Catholic Academy!

Ms. Keough’s students in Grade 2A celebrated the last day of school with a Red Carpet Award Ceremony. They were so excited to receive their awards!

In Ms. Monaghan’s STEM class, the third and fourth grade students built a cardboard arcade. They started off this unit by watching the video “Caine’s Arcade”. It truly is an amazing story! In order for the students to showcase all of their hard work, they hosted a Caine’s Arcade Day of Play in the school cafeteria on Monday, June 12th. Each teacher signed up for a time to bring their

SBCA End of the Year Highlights

students down to the cafeteria in order to play the games third and fourth grade built. The students worked very hard on their projects and were really excited to allow everyone a chance to play them! The third and fourth graders did an outstanding job with this STEM class project!

The First Graders in Ms. McCarthy, Ms. Byrne and Ms. Gannon’s first grade class enjoyed walking to Farragut Park for the Teddy Bear Picnic. The children ate their lunch, read with friends, listened to stories read by their teachers, and played on the playground. It was a beautiful sunny day enjoyed by all!

Our Annual Field Day, organized by Ms. Brogan, the Physical Education Teacher, was a big hit with the students. Students were placed on teams led by our 6th Graders. The team colors were Red, Orange, Navy,

Tie Dye, Lime Green, Purple, White, Gray, Light Blue, Yellow, Pink and Dark Green. Some of the games they played were…Tug of War, Tic Tac Toe, Bean Bag Toss, Egg Relay Sponge Relay, Beach Ball, Water Balloon and Sack Race. “A Reflection of Team Spirit, Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress, working together is success.” by Henry Ford

Students in K1 became published authors this school year! They brainstormed topics to write about, picked one topic, illustrated the pictures and wrote the words! Then we sent it off to the publisher!

The title of the book Ms. Hope’s student’s published is entitled: “When I Grow Up” by K1A.

The title of the book Ms. Courtney’s student’s published is entitled: “What Lives under the Rainbow” by K1C The title of the book Ms. Erin’s students published is entitled: “When I Grow Up” by K1D. The students were so excited to become published authors! Much to their families and teachers’ amazement and delight, the K1 students did an outstanding job as authors and illustrators. As we mark the end of another great school year here at SBCA, we wish everyone a Healthy and Happy Summer! Let’s keep our school prayer that we start with each day at school in our hearts and minds. --Dear God, Thank you for creating us and giving us this day, help us grow in faith and show respect in every way. We welcome all people into our school family with care, Work hard in all subjects, have patience, and share. Guild us as we do our best to lead and learn today, and celebrate as proud students of SBCA.