The Watering Report: Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for The Trees

Our garden and the new trees were celebrated on the afternoon of May 1st! Here is the invitation that was extended to the community from BHSEC Special Projects Manager, Kristi Powell:

"Please come to our 2nd annual BHSEC Neighborhood Festival which is co-sponsored by State Sen. Daniel Squadron's office and our neighboring Tenants Associations. This year, along with featuring our Early College Academy program, we will be celebrating our new grove of trees, and thanking the NYRP/Million Trees organization with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Mr. Peterson was the main force in obtaining our beautiful grove of trees, so of course, we will also acknowledge his leadership, especially on this project. We will also thank and acknowledge our parent Garden Committee for all their hard work beautifying the yard, and our ECO Club and BSAN members for their dedication to the environment, and for raising awareness among the student body."

There was music, dance and food. Glenn Healy and students from his World Drumming class performed.

Tim, Dean Lerner, and Kristi chatting near the delicious buffet. Thanks to Roberto Napoleon the President of the Baruch Tenants Association and El Maguey Y La Tuna Mexican Restaurant (321 Houston St.) who provided the delicious food to offer our guests.

Karen Hatch (me) and Sonia Laudi after we walked through the Lillian Wald Houses to invite more neighbors. We were happy to see that many of them came with their children.

Tim, Sonia, and BHSEC English teacher and Eco Club advisor Elizabeth Poreba talk to K. Ozgem Ornektekin, Director of Sustainability, NYC DoE Division of School Facilities. Making sure that the life of the garden is sustainable has been very much on the minds of the Garden Committee members. We are trying to work out the best method of watering the trees using the new sprinklers which we were able to buy with the Lowe's grant. Ms. Poreba is helping us to get students involved in this.

BHSEC Principal Ray Peterson started the ceremony and thanked all involved in the transformation of the yard. It was Ray's idea to approach Million Trees last spring (or was it summer?) and he followed through relentlessly. It's amazing that this all happened so fast. Here's a link to a past Watering Report entry that shows the ugly, overgrown and condemned jungle gym that the trees replaced.

Representing NY Restoration Project, Faisal Al-Juburi, Vice President, MillionTreesNYC, spoke

followed by Assemblymember Brian Kavanaugh, of Assembly District 74, and

State Senator Daniel Squadron, who gave an inspiring speech about how the Bard community should be proud not only for the school's academic achievements, but also because they are a part of the long and very interesting history of the Lower East Side--appropriately, a place where pioneers and immigrants arrive to do their best and make their mark on the world. (That was my interpretation of what he said anyway!)

BHSEC Garden Committee instigator and inspirator Sonia Laudi joined them in cutting the ribbon to officially "open" the BHSEC grove.

Kristi gave them thank-you gifts and

the group posed for pictures.

And then the audience kept their cameras out to take pictures of the amazing BHSEC Step Team.

Thanks to everyone involved in this fun celebration and lest I leave anyone out I am copying Kristi's list of additional people to mention here:

Kaity Tsui, MillionTreesNYC Education & Tree Care Coordinator - AmeriCorps
K. Ozgem Ornektekin, Director of Sustainability, NYC DoE Division of School Facilities
Luther Stubblefield, VP, Baruch Tenants Assoc.; helped coordinate neighboring community based organizations and tenants associations
Roberto Napoleon, Pres., Baruch Tenants Assoc.; donated the cooked food
Rosemarie Diaz, Sen. Squadron's Community Liaison
El Maguey Y La Tuna Mexican Restaurant, 321 Houston St, for food donation
Fernando Azevedo, BHSEC parent who photographed event
Glenn Healy, BHSEC Drumming teacher
Ben Rubenstein, BHSEC Step Team Advisor and math teacher