Visitors to the Trinity College School campus will notice the addition of new garden boxes filled with flourishing plants, thanks to the efforts of the Seeds group, a Senior School service learning offering. After a two year break due to the global pandemic, the Seeds program was relaunched with exciting new initiatives. This year, two new boxes were added, bringing the total number up to eight boxes – including two large trellis frames – located just east of the Burns/Scott boarding houses.
Seeds is a year-long service program that allows students to experience the entire growth cycle of plants. They learn to harvest seeds, grow plants from the seeds and care for them indoors, then transplant them into the garden beds and cultivate their growth organically. Next year’s group will begin this cycle again in the fall when they harvest. This past fall, the students also learned about food preservation and drying herbs. The harvested produce is used by the culinary services staff in Osler Hall to create delicious meals for the entire school population.
This year, the spring term participants also planted sunflower seeds in the big garden by The Lodge, on the south side of campus. The hope is that, come the fall, the sunflowers will have thrived and can be used as a tribute and sign of support for Ukraine. If not, at least the seeds already seem to be making a welcome snack for our local bird population!
Thank you to the students who have been a part of Seeds throughout the year. Your efforts have beautified our campus and serve as a visible reminder of the importance of living sustainably. Gratitude as well to the TCS Foundation and its donors, the property department and TCS Environmental Coordinator Alison Elliott for their collective support of this environmental initiative.
- By Suzanne Hamilton, club supervisor
