TJ’s Special Ed Department raises funds through the Green Club.
Plants that were on sale for the TJ Green Club are still growing in the green house. Photo by Tori Wallace
On Friday, March 26, TJ’s Green Club held their annual Garden Sale to raise funds for the Special ED. Department. A large variety of plants were sold, including zucchini squash, corn, sunflowers, melons, and cucumbers. All of the plants sold for only one dollar each and helped toward a great cause. Ordering in advance was also an option, especially knowing the plants sell like hot cakes. If anyone would like to order any plants, please contact Elizabeth Repensek or Kerry Black in regards to ordering plants by phone or e-mail.
The Garden/Green club is in charge of the sale and all proceeds will benefit the plan to build the TJ garden, which is located on site behind the green house. “This garden will be accessible for all students to work in and will accommodate students in wheel chairs,’’ says Kerry Black, “One of the great things about this garden is that it teaches work endurance, team work, physical exercise and coordination, increased attentiveness and verbal skills.” Not only does the TJ Garden help support a great cause but it adds beauty to the campus. The plants will be garden ready, which means they can be planted as soon as they are bought. Kerry says, “ The garden will also teach students about nutrition, money and business skills, and they will gain valuable work skills. ‘’ Black hopes that the skills the students will learn can be transferred for work in the community.
In addition to the Green Club Sale, Kerry Black, Elizabeth Repensek and Mollie Pitrone, who are the TJ SPED teachers, taught life and financial literacy skills to special education students through the creation of their own micro-enterprise, the Garden of Youth.
This program enables high school students with disabilities to participate in a community garden, learning about nutrition, healthy lifestyles, job readiness, financial literacy and entrepreneurial skill development to prepare students to obtain and maintain future employment. Students participating in the project will be engaged in planting, cultivating and harvesting fresh vegetables, flowers and herbs. Plants are started from seed and cultivated in the school greenhouse by students with mild to more severe disabilities. It is expected that these skills will be transferable to any job a student chooses to pursue after the project is complete.
To develop and increase their understanding of life skills, students have been engaged from the beginning in every step of the garden process. They will continue to receive training in the areas of financial literacy, job readiness, marketing skills, customer service, understanding nutrition concepts and reading recipes in the creation of healthy meals throughout the school year.
TJ will have an on-site garden program during the coming summer, in addition to the Community Garden at the Hebrew Education Alliance. As far as further sales go, there will be one held on Friday May 10th for Mothers Day.
