What's Happening in Darien?

The Darien Edible School Garden Initiative began two years ago and the momentum of our ever growing group has produced great results. Before starting the gardens, we worked to procure funding for all 5 elementary schools to ensure parity. Over $46,000 in funding and in-kind donations was generously donated by local businesses and foundations.
Our first garden was built at Ox Ridge in November, and the process has served as a model for the other elementary schools. Each school has assembled a group of interested parents to shepherd the project from planning to installation. It is our plan to have the teachers to use the gardens as outdoor classrooms and to allow the program to evolve organically. In neighboring towns, the gardens have either been solely part of the curriculum or have had various degrees of parent-driven classroom participation. In the summer, volunteer families will assume the responsibility of caring for the garden for a week at a time, enjoying harvesting rights for the entire season.All four remaining elementary schools will build gardens either this spring or by the beginning of the next school year.
Along with our incredibly generous sponsors and committed parent teams, we especially thank two people who have been instrumental in making this happen. Thank you to John Rechi, the principal at Ox Ridge School has taken on the responsibility of communicating our progress to the other elementary school principals. And thank you to Matt Byrnes the new assistant super intendant of secondary schools who has been a champion of our project and has presented our plans to an enthusiastic BOE.