A new, beautiful garden now sits alongside the Ken-Ton Family Support Center thanks to students and staff at Kenmore Junior/Senior High School.
In March 2024, Kenmore Jr/Sr High School principal Kevin Kruger shared a grant opportunity with the Big Picture program that would allow them to build a community and school garden. The next month, the school applied for the grant and in August of that year, the school was selected for the $3,000 grant out of 1,200 applications from across the U.S. and Canada.
That October, the school formed the PHAM (Phoenix Harvest Agricultural Measure) Club with Sarah Galante, Josef Rivera Lorentz, Jennifer Leone, and Matt Lavigne serving as advisors. The goal of the club was to get a garden going that would benefit both the school and the local community in several ways.
Over the last few months, the club built the garden from the ground up and collaborated with several people and organizations to make it a success. Students learned how to grow seeds, repot, care for soil, the importance of native plants, pesticide-free garden care, and companion plants. Many people were involved in this project, including KJS Custodian Tommy Wagner, Denise Clay from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Dave "the butterfly guy" O'Donnell from Eastern Monarch Butterfly Farm, Seneca Nation's Gakwi:yo:h Farms Three Sisters Gardening, Park Ranger and Visitor Services Manager Logan Sauer with the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, NCCC Horticulture Teacher Thomas Mitchell Mckinley, Melissa Foster of the Kenmore Village Improvement Society, and Nora Saintz of Gardenette Design.
The garden holds more than 20 native plants and includes a greenhouse where plants are repotted. There are benches for students to sit and enjoy the calm environment and a path for people to walk and observe everything. A beautiful mural sits on the brick wall, designed by Big Picture student Anna Ceranski and a logo, designed by another Big Picture student is on a stake outside the garden entrance. There is also a long line of painted bricks that have messages and designs.
From here, the school plans to use the garden to harvest food and educate students in all disciplines. It'll allow students to observe, work with others, journal about the gardening process, participate in research projects, and learn how important fruits and vegetables play in our everyday health.
