Sonia Sotomayor Builds Mightily

Skid steers, students, soils, and seedlings, Oh my!

Students, teachers from Sonia Sotomayor as well as, summer school program

leaders from EMBE, GroundWorks Connect staff, board, and interns, Wesley United

Methodist volunteers, and resident of The St. Francis House gathered one hot and

dusty June morning to build, fill, and plant six teaching garden beds in conjunction with

GroundWorks Connect.

The project, originally, launched via a summer program has given way to a

variety of garden theme ideas that include a pollinator bed, a sweet treats, 3 sisters, and

a pizza garden. These beds will be available for staff and student use for the beginning

of the school year with the hope that not only the produce but also the curriculum will be

used in the classrooms.

GroundWorks Connect provides not only the means and construction design

know-how for the theme gardens, the horticulture prowess, but also the educational

materials classrooms can use so that these gardens can be year-round additions to the

learning environment. More than that, GroundWorks Connect has developed a

leadership model around the gardens that empowers a team approach so that wherever

a garden is built, the goal is to Engage, Equip, and Empower the team to take learning

and growing to the next level. GroundWorks Connect gets to be the building block

liaison, supplying what they need to be successful.

Congratulations to Sonia Sotomayor on an amazing build and summer season,

GroundWorks Connect cannot wait to grow with you!