MILLTOWN — Students from Joyce Kilmer and Parkview schools have begun working to create a fully functioning and self-sustaining garden at the Joyce Kilmer Middle School.
The garden is one of two that have been planned for the district’s schools through the efforts of the schools’ Green Teams. The Green Teams consist of students from each school who have shown an interest in agriculture, conservation, sustainability, plants and gardening.
Parent and Board of Education member Dawn Milburn came up with the concept of the Green Team and the idea to bring awareness of these topics to students in Milltown. Milburn’s work with the Wal-Mart Small Grants Program landed Milltown a grant that is being used to jumpstart these programs.
With the assistance of Alan Godber of the Lawrence Brook Watershed Partnership, the students have begun to learn about and remove invasive species, as well as construct and learn about rain barrels.
Mayor Eric Steeber, several Borough Council members, staff from the Rutgers Cooperative Extension, Master Gardeners, Home Depot volunteers and county freeholders joined the students during the launch of their garden project on May 3.