There's been talk in the hallways of Derryfield about the creation of a garden for years now. After a couple failed attempts at the creation of Derryfield's own little "Eden" I have taken it upon myself to get the ball rolling again. My proposition for a garden at Derryfield was met with enthusiasm from the administration and many students, but passion does not itself a garden make. After months of careful planning and consideration, we are ready to move forward into the next stage of this process and hope to break ground within the next few weeks. We have worked hard to ensure that the garden will not just be the work of one impassioned generation of Derryfield students, but will exist as an integral part of the school - something that can not only be enjoyed by all of our community, but will continue to thrive after its initial proponents have left. In doing so, we have looked to see how some aspects of garden exposure could be integrated into the middle school science curriculum, Breakthrough Manchester's summer program, and Derryfield's lunch program. During the school year, interested upper school students will be central to the garden's maintenance. Other private high schools in New England actually include gardening as a sports credit - many of us feel that this would be an interesting avenue for Derryfield to explore.

The area to the right side of the tennis courts has been designated as the site for the garden. We plan to grow things that students can enjoy while they are still in school: strawberries, cherry tomatoes, sunflowers, pumpkins, cucumbers, and more. We also hope to establish a student-run farm stand such that parents and friends can share in the fruits of our labor.

If you have any questions, or want to get involved, please see me or Ms. Moyer. We are really excited about this newest addition to Derryfield and we hope you all will be too!

Meg Huckaby '13