School Garden Concept Plan Revealed to Students at Powell
Elementary School Last month USDA facilitated a school garden
design session and since that time, landscape architects Matt
Arnn and Bob Snieckus have been working hard to incorporate
parent, teacher and student ideas into an ideal plan that would
transform the large expanse of asphalt at Powell Elementary
School in Washington, DC into a People’s Garden. Older students
envisioned racecars, tree houses, spaceships and swimming pools
at their school while younger students imagined rainbows and
butterflies. Parents and teachers drew images of colorful
flowers, fruits and vegetables, and quiet spaces for reflection
and relaxation. Many of the garden designs incorporated an area
for basketball and street hockey as well as covered areas to
gather for meals and cultural celebrations. Plant selections
ranged from tropical fruits like papaya, banana and pineapple to
more regionally appropriate crops like greens, corn,
strawberries, tomatoes, and carrots. Second