Many may argue that Cathedral Catholic couldn’t be any more beautiful- with a scenic chapel, attractive building facades, and lush shrubbery dotting our campus, how could the school become even more appealing?
Well, our very own Garden Club has taken on that challenge. The Garden Club is planning to grow a garden in the space between Drexel and DeSales to enhance the beauty of the campus and to provide environmental science benefits.
Biology teacher Mrs. Rosalie Wisniew’s home garden drew students to the club
“Our inspiration was Mrs. Wisniew,” said junior Jameson Perry, Garden Club leader. “We viewed some pictures of her own beautiful garden at home.”
Mrs. Wisniew was the “perfect fit” for the job because of her personal experience with gardening. “I’m an avid gardener,” she said. “The garden club stems from my personal interest in gardening. Each spring I cultivate a wonderfully beautiful English cottage garden at my house in North Park and plant around 150 roses.”
It is evident that Mrs. Wisniew has a passion and a knack for gardening, and this passion rubs off on many of the Garden Club members. “We have some really enthusiastic students who come and water the plants everyday,” said Jameson.
Not only will the garden be a place of beauty, it will also act as a learning environment for science classes.
“Students will participate in the implementation of lesson plans, which in biology might center around planning and designing an ecologically friendly organic garden in its design, starting with research about biotic and abiotic factors. Environmental Science, Chemistry, and Physics classes will also participate with labs testing soil, pH , and light,” said Mrs. Wisniew.
“This whole project shows that CCHS is an environmentally conscious school,” said Jameson.
During planning, the Garden Club had to keep in mind wildlife on campus. Cathedral Catholic is a host to many critters that come out mostly during the night, such as raccoons. “We were worried about animals eating the pants,” said Jameson. To solve this problem, raised planter beds were implemented into the design.
The Garden Club has high hopes for the garden. “I think it’ll be a great place to sit and enjoy the smells and possibly even lunch,” said Jameson.
“Students will be able to take the knowledge gained through their study of science and apply it to real life in a garden setting while working together, not only for beautification of the campus, but for the enjoyment of others,” said Mrs. Wisniew.
