Come See What’s Growing Here… Six Stories Up.

Challenge: How to share the valuable life lessons and experiences of a great ecology curriculum at an urban school lacking the open space of a private yard with arable soil?

Our Solution: Take to the sky! What we lack in acreage, we make up for in height—well above street-level. HPMS has a veritable pollinators’ paradise on our 6th floor rooftop in the form of a working vegetable/ herb/ flower/ fruit rooftop garden of which our students have guided access. Six stories up, they get to dig in and explore, plant, water, prune, harvest and study all year long. Success!

A Big Green Thumbs Up: Most recently, we are delighted to welcome Ms. Nichole to our school and our garden!  Ms. Nichole has recently located to Jersey City from Austin, Texas and has been a Montessori Educator, Leader, and Consultant for over 27 years. In addition to her work with children and families, Nichole has been a recognized Innovation Leader and Speaker with the American Montessori Society and uses her skills to serve as a Guest Lecturer at Texas State University and the University of Texas in Austin.

Ms. Nichole’s passion for helping children to develop confidence, self-esteem and a love of learning is also well rooted in our garden! Gardens spark joy and wonder in children by inviting them to get curious and explore. You can find her here with students from both campuses nurturing our plants or harvesting them for inclusion in any number of saleable goods, like salads, soaps, candles and wherever their creativity leads them. Proceeds are re-invested right back into our school, whether it be for the purchase of more seeds or a contribution to our Scholarship Fund as we continue to broaden our socioeconomic diversity at HPMS.