Dirt Under Those Nails

McAuliffe International Middle Schoolers Will Be Back In Action, Volunteering At The June 12 Park Hill Garden Walk

By Jean Ercolani

Park Hill Garden Walk Organizer

For the first time in the 21-year history of the Park Hill Garden Walk, students from McAuliffe International School’s volunteer program worked at the eight individual gardens in last year’s daylong event. The volunteers were engaging, helpful and simply delightful at each location, and the organizing committee is thrilled that the students want to do this again this year.

Michelle Moore, community liaison for McAuliffe International, says the students’ experiences with the Garden Walk was very positive, and they were amazed at the gardens. Initially wary they may spend the day just looking at cabbages, Moore noted many students reported it was one of the best things they did last summer, and asked if they could do it again this year.

Moore works with students on service learning, community projects, is a student mentor, co-coordinates the student leadership program, and teaches a social justice class for 8th graders at Park Hill’s McAuliffe International School, the middle school at 26th Avenue and Holly Street.

The McAuliffe volunteer and community outreach program has been a part of the curriculum since the school opened in 2012. Students have done service projects with Park Hill elementary schools, including Stedman, Smith, and Hallet. They have also done work with the Ronald McDonald House, Urban Farms, Metro Caring and several homes for seniors.

Several students who graduated from McAuliffe last year and are now in high school want to participate in this year’s Garden Walk, which is scheduled for Sunday, June 12, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Tickets go on sale beginning May 1 at parkhillgardenwalk.org. Advance tickets are $15, seniors (age 65+) are $12 and children under 12 are free.

Tickets will also be available at several Park Hill businesses the first week of May (locations are listed at the website). Make sure to check out next month’s issue for additional details and previews of the gardens and artists that will be featured in this year’s Garden Walk.

The Park Hill Garden Walk committee is a group of volunteers working to raise funds to support the Greater Park Hill Community, Inc. mission.  GPHC, is a registered neighborhood organization that promotes the character and vibrancy of Park Hill, and works to preserve the quality of life and the history of the neighborhood through community participation. Learn more and get involved at greaterparkhill.org.