Gardening Club Chosen as First 'Club of the Month'
The club has plans to plant different fruits and vegetables on Midwood’s grounds. Photo: Isabelle Sigal
By SHAYNA GOLUBEV and JAMEE RUDSKY
Despite only running for a little over a year, the Gardening Club has managed to touch Midwood’s heart, becoming the first ever “Club of the Month.” In the club, students are encouraged to embrace their green thumb every Thursday, periods 8 and 11.
Seniors Lilliana Simens and Naomi Marchuk started the club last year to make Midwood more environmentally friendly and spread their love of nature. The club has since flourished and now has close to 200 members on its Google Classroom, with about 50 attending each meeting.
"We wanted to bring the Midwood garden back to life,” Marchuck said. “We also wanted to find a way to create a sense of community after coming back to school from quarantine. And what better way than collectively working to beautify the school and make its garden flourish?”
During a typical meeting, students participate in various gardening activities from planting tomatoes to painting pots and learning about different types of trees. All activities are hands-on and educational.
“I joined the Gardening Club last year as a participant,” said junior Isabelle Sigal. “I had so much fun hanging out with my friends, and my passion for gardening grew, so I took up a leadership position this year.”
Working in the garden is a great way to make new friends and learn more about the process of planting. The garden may require a lot of work, but it’s worth it, members say. Last year the club met every other week because it was hard to conduct activities indoors, but this year they’ve been able to meet twice a week.
“This year, we’re going to plant different vegetables and fruits,” said Simens, “along with checking up on our crops from last year and hopefully painting a mural on the side of the garden.”
The Club of the Month award is a new idea from student government to utilize bulletin board space and get wider club recognition. The selection process was a collaboration between the student government and Mr. Lawrence Kolotkin, the school’s COSA.
The Gardening Club was chosen because of its enthusiasm, contributions to the Midwood community, and success rate in reviving the club, Mayor Elia Gorelik ‘23 explained.
“They’ve created a very positive environment for students, and the student government wanted to give them that recognition,” she said.
Simens said that winning Club of the Month was a “huge accomplishment and very rewarding,” especially with the club being active for only a year.
Marchuk said, "I'm extremely proud that our club won Club of the Month. This proves that whatever you put your mind to, you can accomplish.”
“It felt nice to be appreciated by the school,” said Sigal. “I’m proud of Lilly because she started this club from scratch and it has blossomed so much since.”
In the future, the club hopes to become a hub for students to come together and enjoy the garden, allowing students to enjoy the fruits of their labor.
So roll up your sleeves and get ready to get your hands dirty! You can stop by the Gardening Club on Thursdays in room A215 period 8 and room 331 period 11.