This summer, the village that is BCD demonstrated their community spirit by caring for our new garden beds, originally planted by Berkshire Country Day School students late last spring. The garden-care calendar for Summer 2017 was divided into weekly increments, and we were delighted, fortunate, proud, and so grateful to have various BCD families sign up, committing to show up to water, weed, harvest as needed, and occasionally replant portions of the garden. Our garden was attended to every single week this summer!

Thanks for establishing the BCD gardens go directly to parents, Cynthia Pansing and Arlin Wasserman (parents of Orli, current Grade 4) whose generous contributions toward the garden made it possible. Early in the 2016-2017 school year, Cynthia brought the idea of new gardens to my attention. She then enlisted the support and talents of Chris Wellens of the Berkshire Botanical Garden. Together, the three of us spent time together, imagining and planning for the foundations of the garden beds, the planting process, garden care, and the hopes for the harvest.

The students and teachers in 2016-2017’s  Fourth Grade, First/Second vertical class, and our Preschool were the crew who worked to prepare and plant our garden in late April of 2017. The students took part in the spreading of soil in the beds, planting seeds, watering the beds, and looking after the gardens in the early weeks before summer. They planted kale, peas, tomatoes, potatoes, and zucchini, as well as dill, mint, and basil. The same grade levels will continue to care for the garden through the end of the season.

The current garden is essentially a revival of a similarly great project that happened in prior years at BCD. Our new garden addresses some of the challenges of the previous garden, such as it not being on a central path where eyes were on it regularly and the lack of regular care it needed during the summer months.

Thank you again to Cynthia and Arlin, to Chris from the BBG, to the teachers and maintenance crew of Dan and Chris for their interest and time, to the children who planted the garden, and to the families, children and parents who helped demonstrate that the garden is a wonderful metaphor, as well as a literal example, of how working together can truly make things flourish.

Stop by and see the BCD gardens, located behind Albright Hall outside of the preschool classroom windows!