Hicksville Public Schools

As part of a larger Summer Enrichment Program, K-12 students in Hicksville Public Schools elected to participate in self-guided learning, including a hand’s-on gardening project. Interested students utilized study guides and project sheets published on the district website to keep their learning growing: https://www.hicksvillepublicschools.org/programs/grow_with_us_summer_enrichment
Entitled “Grow with Us,” the initiative encompassed English Language Arts and Mathematics, as well as the home gardening project.  The initiative provided students the opportunity to enhance their learning and stay connected to their school and the district as they sheltered at home during the pandemic. 

As their gardens progressed, our student participants (teachers, too) sent images of their gardens, the animals and insects that visited, and some of the fruits, and vegetables, of their labors for publication on a gallery showcase web page: https://sites.google.com/hicksvillepublicschools.org/summer-gardening-project/project-showcase. Many students grew vegetables for the first time and learned how easy it was to create freshly-picked salads, to add vegetables to home-cooked meals, and still others, to can and preserve what they grew.  

This school year, whether in-school or learning/teaching remotely, the “Grow with Us” participants were awarded Harvest-time “Master Gardener” certificates, novelty pens, and refillable water bottles with district and “Grow with Us” stickers. Many thanks to school social worker Sue Simon for her efforts in coordinating the gardening project and for the support of Hicksville’s administrators, teachers and parents!

Congratulations to “Master Gardeners”:

Hicksville High School: Samantha Mason, Emma Mayer

Hicksville Middle School: Lauren Mason, Julia Sieradzki

Burns Avenue: Vincent Rufo 

Dutch Lane: Olivia He, Ioanna Koliatsis

East Street: teachers Mary Shurley, Justina Ketyer 

Fork Lane: Olivia Choi

Lee Avenue: Brianna Kennedy, Emily Kennedy, Mia Baboolal, Ayana Gargh, and teacher Tina Pilotte

Old Country Road: teachers Jen McEvoy, Chris Moir, Lucy Vieco, Corrine Taylor, Debbie Hoppe (Computer TA), and Gina Baade (Greeter)

Woodland: Liam Chan, Jace Seddo, Jackson Seddo, Syed A. Saqlain, Jannah Ramos, Brayden Chiarelli, Owen Chan, Aidan O’Shaughnessy, Abigail Lew, Lucas Fieger, Evan Vinieratos, Ava Vinieratos, and teacher Wendy Cataldo. 

Hicksville High School Sophomore Samantha Mason grew many flowers and vegetables in her family’s home garden along with her sister. She is pictured here with Assistant Principal Tim Sweeney. “I mainly do the bird and butterfly garden – we would sit outside to have breakfast and watch the birds that visited the yard,” shared Samantha. “We learned to recognize birds by their calls.”

At the middle school, Principal Mara Jorisch is pictured with “Master Gardeners” Lauren Mason and Julia Sieradzki.

 Stepping outside for a photo were Woodland “Grow with Us” gardeners. The students are pictured here with (back row, left to right) Superintendent of Schools Marianne Litzman, Woodland Principal Beth Swanson, and (far right) teacher Wendy Cataldo and school social worker Sue Simon.

 At Dutch Lane, two fifth grade students were awarded “Master Gardener” certificates.

 At Lee Avenue, three students grew gardens. The students shared that they grew banana and green peppers, lemon grass, cucumbers, green beans, and strawberries.