Day after day, our school’s students walk to school. Often, they walk straight past the beautiful garden beds that have been planted and cared for throughout the year. The Urban Agriculture club has been growing and taking care of gardens all around the school. The club, started after the pandemic, has done an amazing job decorating our school with all kinds of plants and vegetation. Sadly, a lot of their hard work goes unnoticed by students around the building.

“Right now, we are working in the beds along the senior lot. We are planning on growing tomatoes, beans and zucchini as we get closer to the summer.” Co-president Maddie Selinger said.

The Urban Agriculture club has given its members the opportunity to do something that is not often available at other schools in the area. Sponsored by Zahra Castellano, the club is one of a kind, and gives students the freedom to express their passion for urban agriculture.

“[The Urban Agriculture club] is exactly what you want as the sponsor of a club. The kids do everything themselves,” Castellano said.

The Urban Agriculture club does great things within our school’s community, but they also do their best to help support the entire Arlington community.

“We donate a lot of the produce we grow. We have donated a lot of tomatoes and peppers to AFAC (Arlington Food Assistance Center),” Castellano said.

This club is not only beneficial for its surrounding communities, but it is also greatly beneficial to its members. Started in 2021, the club has continued to grow in size and has encouraged our school’s students to get outside and connect with the environment.

“I first joined the club when one of my friends dragged me to a meeting. It ended up being a ton of fun!” Selinger said

The Urban Agriculture club looks to grow in size, and to help people connect with the environment by getting students active in the gardens.

“[Longterm] Our goals are really to make people more aware of our club and what we are doing.”

This club has filled our gardens and cared for our school since the pandemic. While many students may not appreciate this as they should, the Urban Agriculture Club continues to support our schools community, as well as the surrounding community and have worked hard to help our school connect with our environment.