Greenhouse unveiled on Rye Lake Lower Campus

Garden classroom will serve as a vocational learning station for students

  It was a chilly 50 degrees outside the Decagon Building on Southern Westchester BOCES’ Rye Lake Lower Campus on a recent Thursday morning. Inside the sparkling new greenhouse, however, it felt like a July afternoon.  

Erected over the summer, it will serve as a year-round vocational opportunity .

“We are thrilled to finally be opening this greenhouse,” Principal Julia Dolan said. “It’s been a long time coming. About two years ago we opened our garden, which has been really phenomenal for the students and for the staff.”

Ms. Dolan, joined by Special Education PTA Vice President Donna Perazzo and David, one of the AIIM students active in the garden program, cut a bright orange ribbon across the greenhouse doors using, fittingly, a pair of garden shears.

As the applause settled, students, staff and families were invited to enjoy cake and cider along with produce from the campus garden. The latter fare was a preview of plans for future harvests.

The greenhouse will be a vocational learning station for students to grow, box and deliver fresh produce to classrooms on campus or for students to bring home to their families. Students will hold various jobs, from planting, growing and tending to the produce and keeping the greenhouse clean.

Framed in green PVC supporting clear panels, the structure houses rows of raised planting beds the perfect height for students to lay seeds and cultivate produce, just as they have the last two years in the outdoor garden nearby on campus.

“It’s really brought us together, and it’s going to help the kids develop some skills,” Ms. Dolan added. “Vocational skills is really our focus, so we’re thrilled.”

She thanked all who contributed to the greenhouse initiative: Garden Committee members Kim Hild, Janeelia Brown, Kara Allen, Giovanna Ciccone and Mary Harrison; SEPTA; SWBOCES administration; and staff from several departments including the Business Office, Operations & Maintenence, and others.

Lastly, she thanked retired Principal Phyllis Rizzi, who championed the gardening program at Tappan Hill School and helped to secure outside funding to support efforts at both campuses. 

Ms. Brown thanked teachers in the campus’s Therapeutic Support Program whose students participated in the gardening program. 

“The garden was lush and beautiful this year,” Ms. Brown said, “and the student involvement was amazing.”