Garden by Bike

Ahead of me awaits a jewel upon the grounds

how else describe the miraculous wonders there

everyone aligned to perform their tasks

awaiting the dawn restless to prepare

like on Henry’s path I ride past healthy neighbors jogging

sing good morning and arrive to catch the squirrels unaware

and the birds, this is their turn, I trespass, observe,

dream to examine one caught in a snare

rid this air! Listen how quiet scarcely embraces 

distant laughter of men, traffic and machines


                                 Raymond Pultinas

space for a garden

by Raymond Pultinas

Space is experienced by the body.   When we explore the space of the garden our bodies are always involved.  Our senses are awakened.   

There is the sudden presence of the sky and light and wind.  Immediately, we are in a different   context, not framed in the same way, on all sides, like the walls of a classroom.  We sense an opening to other than human means of existence. 

We witness the garden’s existence, its life in constant formation.   We see the life of plants and insects in relation to the sky and light and wind and of course rain and water.  The garden exists because of everything that is brought to bear on it.  

The agreement between the sun and the sky and the plants and insects in the garden predates the arrival of human beings on the planet.  It predates the agreement between humans and plants.  Human beings arrived into the world of plants and sun and sky, and this is why we still call earth our mother.  

The garden exists because of everyone who has contributed to it but it is created and maintained not only through the labor of human beings.   We can easily focus in the garden on a different species of life.  We are able to witness a species with which we have coexisted, inter-evolved, and inter-domesticated.

As gardeners we have set apart the area, planted some seeds and tended them until the plants that form develop the roots, seeds, fruits and leaves that nourish us.  The garden offers up its fruits and vegetables with unyielding grace.

To say that the garden is wild might be a stretch, but the garden has wildness within it.

What can a garden do for a school?  What purpose can this new space, The Clinton Garden,  serve in a large urban high school like DeWitt Clinton?   

The Clinton Garden: Opened and Encased like a Gem as Students Build, Plant, Harvest, and Plan for the Future

by Raymond Pultinas

Building

“The most enjoyable experience would have to be making the Compost Bin with the EAC (Environmental Affairs Club) simply because we spent days and hours in a project held deep in our hearts as something we did together and that no one can take away from us.” - David 

Although I had completed the Master Composter Training Course in the spring of 2011, it wasn’t until February of 2012 that we began our bin build with Jodie Colon and Junior Shouten of the New York City Compost Project.  Our initial expectations were that we would be able to complete the project indoors on a single Saturday in February, but with a meager turnout of students we only completed about quarter of the build on that day.  That left a series of Thursdays, after school, with a squad of between 10 and 25 students gathered outside of the garden to saw, measure, plane, drill, hammer and finish the job. By my estimation, we put almost 24 hours into the building of our three-bin compost system.  

But how do you measure the sweat and muscle?  Perhaps, it can be measured in the satisfaction connected with the feeling of ownership that David mentions above.   We made it, its ours, and it always will be!   But it took so long because it was thought through, examined over and over again so that it was right.  Not only did students learn the proper use of tools they learned safety above all else: to spot for one another, carefully stay involved in what is happening, understanding the task every step of the way. 

“Gardens matter, especially in schools because they offer a place for fresh air and a more natural scene compared to city life.  Gardens also open peoples’ eyes to new life and an alternative to learning (the way we learned in the garden).” - Stacey

Planting

“My favorite part was actually planting flowers and vegetables.  I liked getting my hands dirty.”  I loved seeing the flowers that were there in the beginning of the year.  It made me more open-minded about nature and whole foods.”  - Fatema 

After attending a Seed Starting Workshop hosted by Andrew Barret of Green Thumb, I felt we were ready to start all of this year’s vegetable plants from seed.  We studied some short films about germination and then began planting seeds in plant plugs on trays right in our classroom.  We kept our trays of seedlings under the supervision of Mr. Grosso in our school’s famous tower, then moved them to my own apartment bedroom during spring break, and finally to the supply shed and, after acclimating to the temperature and outside conditions, to the garden.  Most of our seeds were purchased at our local Whole Foods Market.  I love to look through packets of seeds, something about that tactile sensation – sensing the size and number of the seeds inside and its potential growth, but the red lettuce, basil, arugula and some of the radishes we are growing this season are from seeds we saved ourselves.   We have more growing in our garden than ever before. 

“I felt honored that I got a chance to plant here.  I liked going outside to plant because I had dreamed to work in the garden of DWC.”  - Delsaline 

Harvesting

“My most enjoyable experience in the garden was learning how to pick the vegetables and actually seeing what the garden looks like since I hadn’t noticed it before.  Also eating the lettuce from the garden was very enjoyable.”   - Michael 

On May 30, two days prior to the opening celebration that we had planned we harvested over 15 lbs of lettuce as well as 4 lbs of Radishes and 1 lb. of Kale, Collards, Scallions, Oregano and Thyme.  We cleaned out a bed of red lettuce and thinned out our mixed greens and offered it to Chef Deb Cahill from Garden to Café and the staff of the DeWitt Clinton Kitchen including Chef Larry Crowell.  The greens continue to produce well and we’ve picked and distributed at least that amount in June and early July.  This year we had a good start with our future harvests of tomatoes, eggplant and peppers and the corn has begun to look promising.  We’re growing a variety of beans: dry, string, runner.  We also have a variety of onions and garlic, chard, calendula returning, carrots, kale, collards, strawberries (next year), a few straggling sweet potatoes (experiment) and much more.  We also have added additional native plants to our butterfly garden, courtesy of the Butterfly Project and Bronx Green-Up workshop, wonderfully conducted by Ursula Chanse and Chrissy Word that I attended in late May.  The western most bed of the garden is in perpetual blossom with an endless array of native flowers including Swamp Milkweed, Virginia Rose, New York Ironweed, Arrow Wood and Dogwood, Blue Mistflower and so many others.  There is always so much to observe and learn in our native plant garden.  It attracts butterflies, birds, bees and human beings.

“I love the feeling of the soil between my fingers.  I always felt the smell of the freshness of the flowers that bloomed.  I loved picking veggies and also planting the seeds.  I watered the seeds and plants a few times and I felt they were grateful for it.  I think I grew closer to nature and even started to plant again in my backyard.”   - Jessica 

Opening

My most enjoyable experience was the garden opening.  Seeing people together for the same cause made me feel that the planning was worth it.  The best part was to taste the food provided from the garden.  It was really good and I’m considering doing it at home.  Everyday I wish I could have it on the side of a dinner meal.  That made me realize eating fresh and healthy is good and for some, part affordable.”  - Tyshae 

On June 1, we held our opening celebration. We are grateful for the words of our principal, Geraldine Ambrosio, and our two guest speakers.  Famed community garden activist and Just Foods Trainer Karen Washington spoke of the how community gardens bring change to neighborhoods. As a member of the La Familia Verde Garden Coalition, she launched City Farms Market, bringing garden grown and farm fresh vegetables to her Bronx neighbors.

Herold Hochberger ’72, founder of the Mrs. Green’s Natural Food Markets spoke about the value of green markets including vegetables and recommended kickstarter as a means of generating support for green businesses.  Diamond Anderson ’12 did a wonderful job as mc and Mr. Patrick Lennon and his Toy Boat Theater provided a performance of Michael Polan’s Food Rules.  The ceremony concluded with the dedication and planting of a Burr Oak in memory of Megan Charlop, a beloved friend, activist school-based health advocate and inspiration to the garden.  

We’d like to thank all for your support of our garden.  Among those who attended were Jo Umans of Behind the Book; Mike Zamm of GrowNYC; Margee Rogers and Dr. David Appel of Montefiore Hospital; Saleen Shah of the Citizens Committee; Jodie Colon of the New York Compost Project; Laura Henriksen, of Change By Us NYC and project coordinator at the Office of the Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit (CAU), Nutritionist Karla Jean Peterkin from our own kitchen staff as well as SchoolFood Supervisors Claire Freire and Josephine Sullivan and the Regional Director, Lisa Mizrahi; Kelley Wind of New York Coalition for Healthy School Food; Gerard Pellison of the DeWitt Clinton Alumni Association; Jimmy Rafferty, DeWitt Clinton's Head Custodian; Deb Cahill of Garden to Cafe; members of the Garden Committee of DWC; members of the Environmental Affairs Club and former Witt Seminar students.
   
Michelle Walrath of the Walrath Family Foundation was unable to attend. However, thanks to her generous donation, a beautiful cedar and wire mesh fence now surrounds our garden.  We had hoped that it would have been completed in time for the June 1 celebration, but it was not completed until the following week.  Thanks go out to Ahmed Nizar and his crew from KW Construction for doing a superb job building our fence.  

The Witt Seminar/English 8 class prepared a program that contain student written articles addressing the importance of gardens in schools and a history of our school’s connection with New York City’s first community garden near the site of the school’s former location at what is now John Jay College.  


For more on this event, please read "School Garden Raises Hope at DeWitt Clinton High School" by Marcos Sierra published in the Norwood News.  

“I loved planting seeds and watching them grow.  However, the best part was eating it at the celebration.  I also loved going out into the open space; it created a bond between nature and [me].  The garden was a beauty, especially with the cherry blossoms and the tulips.  If I learned in a regular classroom, I would not have the opportunity to experience this amazing event.  I learned so much about gardens.  I will never forget this experience.”  - Sabrina 

Planning The Future

“I remember when Mr. Pultinas asked us to describe what we hear, see, touch, feel.  I felt so at peace with myself because I tried to connect with the garden spiritually.  Everything was so clear and bright, plus it lifted my mood.”   - Christopher 

“The garden matters because it gives students like me the opportunity to go there and express themselves.  Forget about school for a while and see what kind of amazing things the environment has to offer.”  - Leury

“I’m forever going to remember an array of colors.  A typical English 8 class exists soly with the black and white colors of a book.  But in this English class I was able to see reds, blues, yellows, purples, oranges and greens of the spring tulips.  These colors brought lif to the garden in a way I never thought it would.”  - Stacey 

Gardens matter because with gardens we get organic foods and we get the pleasure to see and witness the process of growing and eating your food.  Also when you live or are near a garden you can smell a better oxygen.”  - Juan 

“Gardens matter because its not only an emotional relief but a relief on the environment.  It not only brings people together to watch something grow, but also brings many healthy benefits for society." - Raquel 

“It was really nice to get outside away from the same four walls I see everyday.  It was also nice to do something with my hands other than writing.  Aside from the bees, the butterflies were also an added bonus.”  -  Anntonette 

Next semester, we hope to work with a reinvigorated garden committee.  So far, we have had help this summer from several teachers who have volunteered to water while I've been on family vacation.  This is a great sign.  Teachers have contributed throughout the school year by bringing classes to learn about the garden, offering suggestions or offering food scraps to compost.  Perhaps more importantly, we must gain further support from our administration.  The garden should be central in the effort to educate the future citizens of our city and country not only about sustainability, but about our collective and individual futures as inhabitants of this planet. 


Besides continuing to help grow the garden in size and yield, I have become active in a School Garden Advocacy group to gain further support from the city and the Department of Education.  I will be working to help establish a realistic set of expectations for what a garden/sustainability coordinator’s position could possibly mean in a school like ours of over 4,000 students.  Because our school is so large, our needs are great and so are our obstacles.  I'm sure that we can grow and succeed together and what better example before us than The Clinton Garden!  

  

Planning for Opening Celebration of The Clinton Garden is in Full Swing

by Diamond Anderson, Jessica Guiracocha, and Olivia Johnson of the Documentation (Web) Committee

The Witt Seminar is a virtual class of intelligent and energetic individuals who take the environment very seriously. We are not only students in Mr. Pultinas English 8 class and members of the Environmental Affairs Club but avid contributors to our school community working to heal our large and still overcrowded school. As a class, we are setting goals for planting and cultivating our school’s garden for the benefit of the entire Dewitt Clinton community. At a time when our school is trying to bring its academic average up and the Department of Education is continuously scrutinizing our school, the Witt Seminar is bringing the critical issue of our school’s environment to the forefront. The garden can become a new space on our school’s campus for learning more about our intimate connections with the natural world. We advocate for sustainability and longevity of not only our own garden but local parks, gardens and urban farms throughout the Bronx. We are also trying to make our fellow students aware of the consequences of eating fast food.

The obesity rate in the Bronx is the highest in the city. If people would pull away from eating unhealthy foods and start eating fruits and vegetables grown at nearby gardens or by themselves, the obesity rate in the Bronx should decline substantially. Being obese not only limits a person’s life, it contributes to potentially fatal diseases such as Heart Disease and Diabetes. However, these diseases are preventable with a healthy diet. This is why the Witt Seminar virtual class is crucial to the school and the community because we are trying to teach the importance of eating healthy and how to prevent food related diseases. The garden is an example of the work we are trying to accomplish.

It is the hope that in the near future the garden would be embraced by the Clinton community. The garden could potentially be a place for classes to come, work and enjoy the scenery. Science teachers could use the garden for demonstrations in real world efforts to explain and depict what they are teaching. The garden would be the  perfect  place for yoga classes to practice deep relaxation and be one with nature. Other uses for the Garden could be to simply relax. Chairs and tables could be placed on the pavement surrounding the garden and students could sit, read, communicate with each other and or eat their lunch while enjoying the flowers bloom.


The possibilities for the garden are endless and can be made possible with the proper influence and support from the administration and community. In the future the garden could possibly expand, as well as become a trend in schools around the city. Our garden could set an example for other schools that would like to create a garden, but don’t have an example to look to. The garden could be a place to network within the community and NYC Public school system. The countless opportunities the garden can create within the community should not and cannot be limited.

As a small but powerful portion of the DeWitt Clinton High School community, Witt Seminar is planning ways to celebrate our garden and make it a vital component of our school’s improvement. We are seeking to promote awareness and inspire students in our community to be more aware of where food comes from and teach them the difference between fast food and real food.  This spring, we have been working on many different activities.  Perhaps the key activity is planning an opening celebration to be held in the garden on June 1, 2012.  The occasion of the opening coincides with our having received a generous donation from the Walrath Family Foundation that will be used to build a fence around the garden.  The fence is not designed to keep people out, but rather as protection for our hard work.  This event will welcome students, faculty, and over 12 community organizations that have supported the garden since its beginning. In order to plan for this event, we have set up various committees of students.

Each committee has contributed to make this garden opening celebration a success:

Event Planning Committee is in charge of researching and inviting a list of people to our event.   We are inviting people who have contributed to the garden in some way or who may have an interest in what we have accomplished. We are also looking to invite a keynote speaker to address the gathering.  Finally, this committee is coordinating the schedule of events.   Highlights of the day will include ceremonial plantings, dedications, food served from the garden by Deb Cahill, the Bronx regional chef with Garden to Cafe, student guitarists,  speeches, poetry reading, and more.

Publication Committee is generating The Clinton Garden Program. The program will include detailed history of the present as well as past gardens at DeWitt Clinton.  The program will also serve to inspire future interdisciplinary activities in the garden.  Classes that might may include Biology, AP biology, writing, English, and many more.

Mural Committee is envisioning a work of art to unify the numerous intentions and possibilities that the garden will represent for years to come. The Committee is eliciting ideas and drawings from students that might some day be incorporated into a mural within or in the neighboring space of the garden.

Garden Committee has taken on some of the planning for the garden itself. In doing so, the initiative of this committee has been to help create or support the ecosystems within the garden. Students are constructing a obelisk for vine plants, a birdhouse to different kinds of birds, and an expansion of a native plant/butterfly area to attract different essential pollinators. The committee has been researching in order to select the right kinds of rose bushes to beautify the gate arbor that will soon be constructed at the garden’s entrance.

Ray Pultinas, the coordinator, is very excited to present this wonderful and long awaited event because “something in this school actually works.”   We are celebrating a triumph of many hard working students that have taken time to do something positive within the community as a whole.  Be sure that our hard work will not end here. We will continue to make the garden a prosperous environment for students, staff, and teachers. 

Occupy Lunch, Period! Continues at DeWitt Clinton

By Brandall Bernal, Katherine Roldan, Olanny Medina, Yejin Jang

Ashley Carter puts final touches on her group's third floor bulletin board 

McDonald's feeds more than 46 million people a day - more than the entire population of Spain. The lunchroom audience didn’t realize the harm that fast food restaurants do to the young people in our country, but our most recent audience did. In the library speak outs, during the week of January 9th, classes came and really listened to what we had to say. These speak outs were a success because we had the chance to educate and enlighten younger kids about what they were consuming and why it was bad. Most of them looked like they were into the speak-outs, so we believe they really got many things out of it.

From left, Christopher Hernandez, Muhammad Mahmood,  Rueben Pena and Anthony Shiwmangal present before an invited class in the library. Forty grams of sugar in a can of soda is the equivalent of at least 10 teaspoons of sugar; in a 16 oz soda, that's 12 1/2 teaspoons.  Would even the high sugar coffee crowd stop long enough to scoop ten teaspoons of sugar into their cup?  We instantly open a can of the syrup we crave!  

Rangel Guzman raps to lyrics by Masoom (see "Health is Weatlth" below) as part of his group's Against Fast Food presentation in the school library. 

Health is Wealth

(a rap by Masoom Rahim)

Here to show and say words about heart disease.

You think eating cheeseburger is healthy? Please!

Choosing to eat fast food may seem very simple,

Looking at your face, dirty oils are bringing pimple.

It’s possible you can be placed in your death bed,

From eating unhealthy is why you’re dead.

Try eating vegetables, exercising more often,

Or Heart disease will lead you to the coffin.

Every 25 seconds an American will have a coronary event,

A lot of people dead, relatives lament.

Prevent everyone you love from doing the wrong thing.

Coronary heart disease is number one on the list,

McDonalds and Burger King should be stopped, I insist.

Don’t let your house be the captivity,

Americans are at risk due to inactivity.

Obesity is another factor to the equation,

Meat should be consumed only on occasions.

You don’t want to look like the man above.

Taking hits to the chest with boxing gloves.

Live as long as you can offer yourself.

I sure wouldn’t want to be on the no longer living shelf.

Tell smokers to stop or there will be no happy ending.

We students of DeWitt Clinton are here to sing,

To be heard everywhere, make a buzz like a ring.

Decreasing heart disease is the fight we’re trying to bring.

The most exciting part of the speak-out was the rap because it got students more interested and open to hear what we had to say. Our hard work paid off because educating 20 people is way better than speaking to hundreds in the lunchroom but not being heard.

Although we did not get a big audience, those who did watch our presentations were intrigued by the information given. For instance, one student asked for a healthy plant based diet menu immediately after the presentation.   How can we get more students to stop and seek more information?  

Throughout our Witt Seminar work, our peers learned how to inform other students with facts about our diets and provide information from reliable sources. We also gained a great sense of accomplishment throughout the project due to the fact that we had to cooperate with each other to receive greater feedback. There were many pros and cons within the work, and some of the outcomes did not fully accomplish our goals. However, it is important to acknowledge the fact that this is only the beginning of the journey and we have embarked.

Students leaving the library will see these posters by Carishma Budhu (above) and Jesse Orellana  

Steps To Choosing Your Diet!

Displays for our Speak Out

By: Brandall Bernal, Katherine Roldan, Olanny Medina, Yejin Jang

Not only does obesity give you a bad look, did you know obesity can lead to angina (chest pain), cancer, diabetes, heart attack, high blood pressure, joint pain, metabolic syndrome, stroke and other horrible side effects? 

Each of our groups in Mr. Pultinas’ Advanced Literary Criticism class have specialized in different topics that all inform students at DeWitt Clinton of how a bad food choice can affect their lives. Topics range from fast food to cholesterol, obesity, diabetes, animal cruelty, the dangers of fast food, the importance of a plant based diet, etc. Each group did research on their given topic to get a better understanding of the assignment. Each group designed posters that were hung in the cafeteria with statistics, pictures and advertisements. In addition, Mr. Pultinas created a manifesto out of student responses and his own beliefs.  This is extremely important because most of the information we share, people may not know, which is why they keep making the wrong food choices. The more we inform our students, maybe they’ll think twice before eating fatty substances like McDonalds and increasing their chances of becoming obese.  After we did some research and put it on paper and poster paper, we organized a speak-out called, “Occupy Lunch, Period!”

During our speak-out there were both positive and negative aspects. During 6th period the students in the cafeteria were rowdy and rude towards us. But during 7th period the audience was much more cooperative. Although our microphone was low and it was kind of difficult to hear us at times, the students enjoyed the drums and dancing we provided as entertainment. We also handed out samples of healthy foods; some students liked it while others didn't. All in all, we tried our best to get our message across and the students that took time out of their lunch period to hear us out have benefited most.

These are some things our classmates had to say:

“I played a song called “Stairway to Heaven” while Edenized read a poem about health and what bad foods do to our body. I feel good about what I did. I had fun and I believe the song helped attract a bit more attention along with Atta and Omar’s drumming.” – John S. Lawson Jr.

“Each of the group members basically researched many facts about our topic which was obesity. We then printed out pictures and slogans that were powerful enough to help motivate people to eat healthier.” – Michelle Jamal.

“I gained more understanding about obesity.” – Yejin Jang.

“Three negative outcomes were that the cafeteria was too loud, not a lot of people paid attention, and some people in the cafeteria were being rude to the presenters.” – Juan Garcia.

“It benefited most of the students in Mr. Pultinas’ class and the guests that came to the speak-out.” – Wendie Tejeda.

“We got our points across.” “… Students enjoyed the music.” – Ashley Carter. 

Danny takes charge during the Speak Out

Plans For The Future

During the past few weeks, our Witt Seminar groups have worked on poster designs, classroom visits, and another speak-out. Our poster designs will be posted on bulletin boards around the halls of DeWitt Clinton. They will be located on the third floor; one will in the library and the other one on a bulletin board. One of our poster groups has developed an idea of a fist punching through unhealthy and fast foods. These visuals will catch the attention of our students and educate them about alternatives to the foods that harm us and cause health disparities and/or complications. To learn more about our mission, another group will be holding a second speak-out in the library on Thursday, January 12.   They will elaborate issues like diabetes, obesity, fast foods, plant-based diets and more. We plan to improve on the last speak out held in the lunchroom. This new speak-out will include a power-point presentation, a speech, entertainment with music, and the do’s and don’ts of how to stay healthy. This will educate and at the same time engage our listeners to the message we’re trying to express. Both the speak-out and the classroom visit groups will prepare and practice their presentations for our class beforehand.