Last year, the Sustainable Landscapes Team and the Onondaga Nation School established a partnership to install a native plant garden, featuring culturally significant species in a Sun Garden and a Shade Garden. This summer, our Learning by Leading Sustainable Landscapes team coordinated monthly visits to the garden to help with maintenance and continue fostering our connection with the school.

The most meaningful visit for me was gardening with the school’s third and eighth graders. I was thrilled to see how engaged the students were with removing weeds and learning about the components of the garden. Routine weeding transformed into games of finding the biggest dandelion, sticking cleavers to each other's clothes, and searching for ripe woodland strawberries. Some students even asked their teacher if they could return to the garden later in the day. One third grade student expressed how she wonders whether the Pawpaw trees will produce fruits by the time she graduates  eighth grade. The students’ enthusiasm and growing connections with the plants really showed through this activity.

After learning about this project from the team and watching the garden’s progression throughout the summer, it was truly fulfilling to share this experience with the community. The young students have an opportunity to connect both with nature and their culture because of the garden and the efforts of this collaboration. As the garden continues to grow and establish, we hope that its positive impact on the community will too.

-Victoria Ziccardi ‘26  
Learning by Leading Sustainable Landscape Co-Leader

With Mona Jones ‘27, Kyleigh Tangen ‘28, & Audrey Bowe, Natural Area Horticulturist