Aliyya Swaby Photo
Yale Peabody’s Jim Sirch helps unveil student-made sign to mark the habitat entrance.
Students serenade audience before unveiling.
Julie Peterman said the most difficult part of building a habitat behind Conte West Hills School was preparing the ground — given that a 1964 factory burning left pieces of brick and concrete hidden under the soil.
The school community persevered through the physical challenges, leading to an unveiling of the habitat Wednesday morning for a group of parents, teachers, students and community partners at 511 Chapel St. It is the 12th habitat to open at a New Haven public school.
Set at one corner of the school property, the habitat consists of a ring of native plant species marked with placards holding descriptions and photos of the building process. An inner shape of interlinked logs provides a natural seating area for students, no matter the weather.
Roy (at right).
Peterman, a preK teacher at preK‑8 Conte-West Hills, said the effort was collaborative. High school students from other schools as well as parents pitched in to garden through the summer.
The building process began in April and ended in September. The planning process was even more intensive, spanning a full year. It involved purchasing equipment, testing soil and finding funding.
The project organizers applied for grants from organizations including Common Ground, Audubon Society, Peabody Natural History Museum, and Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership, Peterman said. Students also worked to research the best native plants for the habitat.
It’s important for students “to connect to nature,” said special education teacher Cathy Roy, a leader in the project.
Harries, Spence.
Cindy Corsair, from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said native plants were necessary to provide refuge for native wildlife, specifically migratory birds and pollinators. For example, the milkweed plant supports the population of monarch butterflies.
To be certified through the national schoolyard habitat program, the garden has to be “ecologically sound,” she said, and include a plan for “long-term stewardship.” Student and teacher organizers created a three-year master plan for their habitat, intending it to be a “long-term investment.”
Corsair.
Superintendent Garth Harries lives around the corner from the school. He said he walked by when the habitat was being built. “You guys did a great job” building an environment in which students can learn non-academic lessons, he said.
Conte West Principal Dianne Spence said the habitat has, in a way, been in the making for 20 years. A parent of a child wanted green space in the school, and pushed through the construction of a center courtyard. Since then, teachers and parents have been pushing for more green space.
Outdoor log seating in the habitat.
The habitat is only in the “first phase,” Spence said. The teachers are ambitious. Phase four, she said, will be an outdoor library.
