P.B. Young Elementary: A Proud School Garden

Kate Melhuish, ’04 • October 6, 2020

Just before the 2019-20 school year began, Sophia Fowler and Anna Thurmond delivered a new project proposal to the Steering Committee and to Chris Epes.  

Their plan was very detailed. Trinity Presbyterian Church had originally supplied tools and materials for a school garden at P.B. Young Sr. Elementary, a Pre-K to Grade 2 school in the Young Terrace neighborhood. Jim Gwathmey, a retired telecommunications engineer,  was working with the schoolchildren and reached out to Norfolk Master Gardeners about creating a curriculum and activities for the second graders. Sophia and Anna developed an ambitious plan to build the students’ understanding of the natural world and their environment, while building their skills in math, science and art.

The food grown at the garden goes to the families of the students and school staff.  When the pandemic shut everything down in mid-March of this year, the school garden and MGs activities also stopped. Jim received permission to tend the raised beds growing vegetables and did some weeding. By September, even though VCE had lifted restrictions enough to allow this NMG program to resume, the children weren’t back in school. Still, there’s a lot of necessary preparation and ongoing garden work to be done in anticipation of their return. Sure, there are weeds to deal with, along with an amazing crop of volunteer zinnias that fill the school’s backyard and garden area with color.

Currently, NMGs meet at P.B. Young Elementary on Thursday mornings at 10am for about 90 minutes. Contact Anna (annadalton610@cox.net or 757-285-0374) for more details about the program and plans for when in-person learning resumes.