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Mary G. Clarkson students present ‘Be Kind’ garden project, cite community donations and library partnership
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Summary
Students, teachers and volunteers described the Mary G. Clarkson “Be Kind” garden initiative as a school‑community project that uses recycled materials, seed germination and media outreach to teach sustainability and mentorship.
Mary G. Clarkson Elementary School students and staff presented the “Be Kind” garden project to the Bay Shore Union Free School District board, saying the project grew from an after‑school Garden Club into a wider school and community effort.
The presenters said the project aims to teach sustainability, stewardship and leadership through hands‑on gardening, art and peer mentoring. “At Mary G, we promise to help our Earth, school and community,” student Amelia said during the presentation.
Miss Lentini, the STEAM instructional specialist at Mary G Clarkson, and Miss Kaylee Navarro, the Garden Club leader, told the board the project began in Garden Club and expanded into STEAM classes and schoolwide activities. They said students germinated seeds, planted vegetables and flowers, painted murals and created kindness bracelets and rocks to foster a positive school culture.
Presenters credited community donations from local businesses — including Lowe’s, tire shops and small local vendors — for paying for paint, tire planters and gardening tools and thanked the district’s custodial and buildings and grounds staff for help restoring the watering system. They described a partnership with the Bayshore Brightwaters Public Library: students made biodegradable seed pots from recycled newspapers and supplied those pots to the library’s seed‑library project.
The Garden Club also partnered with Gardner Manor and its fifth‑grade “mini marauders” for mentorship activities; students made pollinator‑friendly wildflower seed packets and decorated kindness rocks that were placed in a Kindness Rock Garden at the school. Presenters said the program received local media attention from Channel 12; television reporter Alex Kalamia told the group, “these children know more about gardening than anybody I’ve ever met,” which presenters played for the audience.
Project leaders asked the board to note the project’s educational aims — including outdoor classroom use, cross‑grade mentoring and integration into STEAM lessons — and to acknowledge continued community support. Students presented seed pots to board members at the close of the presentation.
The presentation concluded with thanks to families, staff and community partners and an invitation for continued collaboration and support.
