A Pleasant Garden at Andrew J. Rickoff is a community garden established through a partnership between Kulture Kids and the students and staff of Andrew J. Rickoff Elementary.
Prior to establishing the garden, Kulture Kids and Andrew J. Rickoff School worked together for eight years to create original, arts-integrated, in-school residencies based around STEAM concepts. These residencies still continue each school year alongside the garden.
During the 2016-2017 school year, the students and staff worked with Kulture Kids to begin a community and school garden to help them explore the concepts of living things, the environment, habitats, and food supply. The garden was a huge success, producing more than 150 lbs of free fresh food for the surrounding community with only a few raised beds.
During the 2017-2018 school year, the garden doubled in size and the classroom learning emphasized the “neighborhood” or ecosystem of the garden, with students ‘adopting’ a garden pollinator and learning about how they benefit the garden and humans. More than 450 lbs of free produce was harvested during the summer of 2018. In Fall 2018, the garden footprint grew again, with the addition of a USDA temporary greenhouse, and the students and staff focused their in-class learning around nutrition, exercise, mindfulness, and wellness. During the summer of 2019, the garden produced more than 500 lbs of fresh produce that was provided to the school community and surrounding neighborhood, free of charge.
Tracy Bellum, Garden Manager
The garden is tended and maintained by a small group of volunteers, led by Kulture Kids’ Garden Manager and Andrew J. Rickoff teacher, Tracy Bellum. Students at Andrew J. Rickoff begin seedlings indoors as part of their classroom studies and then work with their teachers and the garden volunteers to transplant their seedlings to the garden’s raised beds and greenhouse.
Food is harvested by volunteers and shared with the school and surrounding community during the monthly Food Bank distribution. The garden is sustained through donated goods and services, and grant funding from the Ohio Arts Council, Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, The Martha Holden Jennings Foundation, The Ohio State University Summer Sprouts program, and the USDA.
The garden is located behind Andrew J. Rickoff Elementary at 3500 E. 147th Street, and visitors and volunteers are always welcome. To get involved or request food, please contact Garden Manager Tracy Bellum at tracy.bellum@clevelandmetroschool.org.
