Reflections on the First Farmer's Market

My name is Melinda Monterroso and I am a 12th grader at Leadership Public School. I have worked at the Castlemont Community Garden and with Green Pioneers since I was in the 10th grade.

On Wednesday, October 12, 2011, I was a part of the first Farmer's Market on the Castlemont Campus. I am amazed by how far our garden has come. The garden started lifeless and the Green Pioneers revived it in only two years. 

We also have a cooking club part of Green Pioneers that teaches youth how to cook and eat healthy with the vegetables, fruit, and herbs we grow.

The Farmer's Market is a great event because it gives youth working experience and it gets healthy affordable food to the community that is surrounded by junk food on every corner. It was fun for me because we had friends and music to keep us working. 

The first Farmer's Market was very successful because a lot of the community showed up to buy our fresh produce. I helped by measuring  and calculating the prices of the produce on a scale using pounds. We all worked together, so it made the stressful parts easier and fun. We also went around the campus to sell more produce to teachers and students before we called it a day. I am surprised and pleased by our success with our first Farmers Market and I am looking forward to continuing with many more. 

Farmers Market at Castlemont (86th and MacArthur) Every Wednesday!

Green Pioneers Farmer's Market!

Students from Green Pioneers hosted the first Castlemont Community of Small Schools and Leadership Public School Farmer's Market last Wednesday. The market will take place every Wednesday from now on from 1-4pm! Stay tuned for more photos and updates!

Check us out and buy fresh, healthy, affordable food!
We are located at the front gates of Castlemont High School at 86th and MacArthur Blvd.

Learning From Our Mistakes!

10/5/11

Dealing with someone that doesn't want to cooperate and being in a hard and stressful situation is tough. Especially when they're screaming and being disrespectful towards you. 
The way you're really supposed to deal with it is going head first, meaning that you don't scream, you be respectful and try to work with the person as much as you can. 
I am Joanna Syx and I am a student assistant to Grace Proctor. Yes, I was in this situation at one point and I didn't handle it as I was suppose to but those difficult situations make us stronger.
 Sometimes its stressful but if we have it in us we can work with anyone. In Green Pioneers, we try our hardest to work together like a family and make sure situations like this don't happen again. I for one will say I did slip up and respond bad but then again I am only human. I learn and will be the best leader I can be.

A New School Year Starts For Green Pioneers!

My names is Joanna Styx and I am the student assistant to our new Program Coordinator, Grace Proctor.  I help lead the meetings every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. It's a new experience for me because I was once a intern and being an intern doesn't have as much responsibility! During this past week we have had a lot of new interns come and join! Its great meeting new people and seeing how everyone works together! The garden is slowly growing and becoming better and better as the time passes! Being a student assistant consists of a lot of responsibilities and a lot of patience.

I am Isabel Gonzalez, my experience with being a Green Pioneers intern is pretty nice since I got a heap of new experience like how to make seedling starters and how to take care of chickens! This year my project is taking care of the plants on the perimeter of the garden. For example I get to train the crawling plants to crawl up our fences. I'm doing this since we don't want the fence to look lonely, so the more lively and the more it is filled with flowers, the nicer it would look! The garden helps me build my courage since honestly, I'm way too shy. So, not only is the garden a good thing for the community but it will also help me improve myself. Last year the garden wasn't so lively as it is today and that makes me happy knowing all our hard work is getting noticed and is encouraging more of my peers to help out.

This year our goals are: to work more, improve the garden, grow more plants and have more productive workers around. The more work we do, the more it'll be noticed and we'll feel more appreciated. When the garden is improved it'll look so beautiful and when we come it'll become an even better comfort zone for everyone. To accomplish all of this we do need more hard workers like the ones we have today! Our garden is very green, when you walk in you see so many plants! We have corn, nopales, strawberries, basil, lemon verbena, pumpkins, corn, squash, watermelons, lavender, peppermint, tomatoes, lettuce, onions, sunflowers, apple trees, peach trees, plum trees and lemon trees! Now isn't that a lot? Because I think it is AND we're planning on adding more!

Summer Update

Working as Summer Green Pioneer Interns
by Isabel and Maria Gonzalez

“I’m proud. Our hard work is paying off”-Maria Gonzalez

“I have been setting up the irrigation system. This is better than a normal summer job because I can do whatever I want when I am done with working on my particular job—like start another project, like working on our ecosystem pond or weeding around the plants. Working outside is better than staying inside. There is fresh air and this place feels like home—I’m used to this place.”

–Alexis Valladares 

What have we been doing?

Watering plants, feeding chickens, pruning, weeding and making sure our garden stays in good shape since it represents us. We always make sure someone comes at least once a day to do the main duties.

Who has been doing it?

The summer job Interns are the ones that are working right now which include Maria Gonzalez, Alexis Valladares, Joanna Syx, Omar Mateo, Jasmin Carrillo, Cesilia Juarez and Manuel Perez. We also have volunteers that show up every now and then.

Why are we here?

It’s fun being in the outdoors and being active. “It’s good for the community and environment,” is what Alexis said. “PEACEFUL and shady and breezy,” is what Grace stated and its true if I say so myself.

How does it make you feel?

“Makes me feel happy and great. Like I’m actually doing something to help the environment and community instead of being out in the streets.  I get to interact with other people I normally wouldn’t talk to.” – Maria Gonzalez & Alexis Valladares

Future Plans?

Well to start, we’re planning on beautifying the garden more so we can attract more butterflies, bees, and more living organisms. We might tear down the fence, get rid of the cement with possibly a jackhammer, and expand the garden with more beds or more flowers. We may possibly make a waterslide to attract more people too! 

We will accomplish these goals!

 

Isabel and Maria weeding in a Castlemont Community Garden Bed.

Interview with Ms. Johnson

Shinnyo-En Interview with Ms. Johnson


Sinnyo-En donated the supplies for our Koi Pond along with other grants. Then, they interviewed Ms. Johnson about Green Pioneers. Thanks, Shinnyo-En!

Joannas Speech

Joanna Syx, 11th Grader at EOSA delivered this speech at the East Oakland Earth Day Celebration on April 30, 2011. She received a standing ovation. 

      Have you ever been around the neighborhood and noticed how dirty it has gotten over the years? Have you thought what might have caused all these disasters that are occurring? Well i have! And everyday, I think about, what might my life be like in like, 10 years from now! What about my children? Well I feel it's time for a change this is our neighborhood! We need to keep it clean, we live here, this neighborhood represents us! We are the change! If we don't change what will become of us! We aren't keeping mother nature clean, so why do we expect the disasters to stop?
     Hello and welcome to our Earth day celebration. My name is Joanna and I'm with Green Pioneers, our purpose is to serve our community and to help people eat healthy, it might seem weird that a teen like me is stuck on this program right? Well it just so happens that I'm happy helping my community, I rather spend my time helping young teens stay healthy and safe rather then roaming these streets and getting locked up! I'm just one of hundreds that are here for a change.
    I for one would like to see the streets cleaner, and better food, by better i mean healthier wouldn't you? So why don't we do something to stop it? It's a perfect question everyone should think about!

New Logo Designs!

Above is our logo! What it says, "Green is Good for the 'Hood," we always say at the beginning and ending of our meetings. That's why we thought it would be a good idea to put it on the logo. 

This one right here Kaylen Saepan actually drew from scratch on a white piece of paper! High five for her! We want to put this on a t-shirt. The tree represents sustainability in the city of Oakland. We want to have more life and less death in Oakland. We don't want to find any more memorials on the corner of the street, instead we want to find more plants, trees, flowers--something that will represent Oakland as a nice environment. It may take a long time, but someone has to start. Thank you Ms. Johnson for opening the students eyes to what the world truly is!

The day before Earth Day

Just a day before Earth day! Wow doesn't time move quickly? Well all the projects are basically done. We just have to present them tomorrow which I'm so exited about! "Come to our Earth Day celebration" is what I would say if I saw anyone of you reading this. Joanna wrote a speech and I heard it, and personally I think it's really good. All of the projects are really great and I think it's really surprising how much hard work every individual has put into their project. Ill admit I might have stage-fright, but I'm going to try my very best to not let that stop me. I bet everyone is really just awaiting the arrival of tomorrow. I'm pretty sure everyone is fully prepared! I'm confident enough to say its going to be really great tomorrow!

Green Pioneers at Ashoka Youth Venture's Just Food Presentation

Earth Team Watershed Steward

Today we met a watershed steward! Her name is Chiara (personally I like that name:). She works for an organization called Earth Team as an after school teacher in Richmond, CA. She meets on Mondays and Wednesdays and teaches students about ecosystems and how animals live in their habitats. If you didn't know, because I didn't know, what watershed stewardship is, see the definition below. I interviewed Chiara and she told me many things about keeping our environment clean. 

For example, if a six-pack ring gets thrown out most people think that it will just get cleaned up but no, it doesn’t! It goes straight to our bay. That garbage affects marine life in a negative way. It all piles up and starts killing marine life and pollutes mother nature. Sadly, without mother nature most, if not all, living organisms will die and that includes us! So it is very important that we don't litter because it has long lasting effects on earth.

Definitions:

- A watershed is the area of land where all of the water that is under it or drains off of it goes into the same place

- Watershed stewardship is a partnership between an environmental association and the community that helps conserve local watersheds. The Earth Team program in Richmond teaches students to enhance the health of local water-sheds.

For more information:

Earth Team's website: http://www.earthteam.net

Bay Area watershed finder: http://museumca.org/creeks/wb-resc.html

Check out this diagram of how watersheds work!

This is a map of all the Bay Area watersheds!

Guest Blogger: Joanna Styx

This is me with a cake I made for Green Club's first potluck

Hi, my name is Joanna Syx and I have been working here at the Green Pioneers for about a year now, and I have learned a lot. Mostly about eating right and making sure what you eat is healthy. For instance, did you know that the chicken from McDonald isn't real chicken? Well I didn't know but ever since I started the program I have learned a little more everyday.

Collard Greens

 Even the salad at McDonald's isn't healthy. Healthy food is grown without pesticides and chemicals being used. I feel that my job in the Green Pioneers is to help people understand that eating healthy isn't exactly hard, it is actually kind of easy as long as you know what foods you are eating.

For example, in the garden we grow: lettuce, onions, cilantro, cabbage, fava beans, strawberries and collard greens. We are able to make delicious snacks, instead of going out and buying hot chips and soda. Some people feel that it is hard to find healthy food and that is true but, if you really put your mind to eating healthy I know you can do it.

4 different kinds of lettuce we grow in our garden


Learn what chicken nuggets are really made of!

   What do silly putty and McDonald's chicken nuggets have in common? 

Food First Interviews Green Pioneers

A representative from Food First came to visit our garden and write about us! Food First is an Institute for Food & Development policy. This is their website: http://www.foodfirst.org

The writer interviewed different students and asked them to answer the question: "How do Green Pioneers help the environment and Oakland?"

Here are some of the answers they gave:

"I'm in Green Pioneers because I'd rather spend my time helping my community than out in the streets up to no good. I love working in the garden, planting, and even making a delicious healthy snack for fellow Green Pioneers. My internship goal is to plan a farmer's market in our neighborhood for everyone's family to enjoy and hopefully I will be able to achieve it. My experience in Green Pioneers has been great and I'm glad I could help the community eat healthy." - JoAnna

"I think Green Pioneers is good for Oakland because it helps the environments and it also helps teenagers grow close to nature. That's exactly why I joined the club." - Jazmin

"Green Pioneers is a positive influence on youth.  Instead of eating unhealthy food (like McDonald's), we teach other people how to grow their own food, and we learn what is in our food." - Oranjel

Chicken update!

Now we have eight chicks! We have four types of chickens: three are Ameraucana, two are Rhode Island Reds, two are Barred Rocks, and we have one black chick whose type is a mystery! The Barred Rock chicks have a little black coloring and one of them is from the chickens in our garden! The Rhode Island Red chicks are going be red from head-to-toe. The Ameraucana are going to have a little bit of every color. The chick from our garden is one week old and the rest are about one week older. We’re going to sell the eggs our chickens lay. Oh! And they are all organic chickens :)

Did you know?

- Roosters fight for territory and for the females who live on the territory.

- Chicks can’t fly! Their wings aren’t strong enough for them to fly so they hover instead. 

- Chickens are related to both T-rex and Archaeopteryx dinosaurs!

I had asked one of my Green Pioneer peers, Jasmine, what she thought about having the chicks inside the class and she said, “They are freaking cool! Hallelujah!”

Teaching 6th graders in the garden

We were like teachers today! It was a very thrilling experience. A group of 6th graders from another school came to visit the garden because they want to start a garden at their school. They attend Elmhurst Middle School which is located near our garden. I never thought that teaching 6^th graders could be so amusing until now.

First, we had a meeting where we introduced ourselves to our visitors. Then Green Pioneer members stood at different stations in the garden. We gave a tour of the garden by dividing the 6th graders into small groups that went to each station where we explained the different Green Pioneer projects happening there.

In my interview with Margie Castillano, who was stationed at our compost bins, she was filled with energy and excitement when she spoke to the 6th graders: “I explained to them what compost is and how it helps the garden. I asked them what compost is and they didn't really know so I told them compost is kind of like vitamins for plants. When it is mixed with soil during planting it helps the plants grow faster and healthier naturally without harsh chemicals and pesticides.”

We enjoyed having the 6th graders at our garden. Five Green Pioneers are going to mentor the 6th graders and help plan a garden at Elmhurst Middle school. Pretty cool, huh?

Our first chick hatched!

Wow, the moment we had all been waiting for arrived: Our first chick hatched! Everybody in Green Pioneers was so excited, you could see it in their eyes - they looked like little kids getting a new toy :) We can't wait for the next one to hatch too. We've had these eggs in our incubator for 23 days. The only part that may be problematic is that for the first two days, chicks only have a 50/50 percent chance of survival! 

I wanted to tell everyone reading this that I learned a new word today: FLABBERGASTED. Doesn't it sound awesome?! It means to be overcome with astonishment. For example, I was walking in the garden for the first time and I was flabbergasted by the pretty sight! :)

I never knew Castlemont had such a nice garden till I saw it for myself with my own eyes!

Did you know that you can eat flowers?

Nasturtium 

Plant name: Tropaeolum

Commonly referred to as: Nasturtium

peltate leaves

Description: flower is bright orange red color with five or more petals & peltate (shield-shaped) leaves

  Common Uses:

1.) Mostly eaten in salads (pretty & yummy!)

All parts of the plant are edible!

2.) A great companion plant! Nasturtium repels pests attracted to the plant families of squash and cucumbers, also repels caterpillars and aphids

What is companion planting?

Companion planting is when certain crops with beneficial relationships are planted near one another to help:
1.) Both plants to absorb more nutrients
2.) Keep harmful pests (like aphids) away from the plants
3.) Increase pollination

 All of these things help grow more healthy plants more often!

What is an aphid?

Aphids are tiny insect parasite that suck the sap out of plants and can transmit deadly viruses.

What is sap?

Sap is a fluid that consists of water and nutrients throughout the plant.

My Green Pioneers internship at our garden

Hello my name is Isabel. It's nice to meet you. I have an internship during this spring semester working at Castlemont High Schools' community garden. We meet after school 3 days a week. If you were to visit our garden, you would see Green Pioneers working cohesively as a team planting, constructing, and cooking. It's always a pleasant sight! I'm a freshman from Leadership Prep but our club consists of students from the other three schools on our campus: EOSA, LPS, and CBITS.

This semester, my internship project will be writing about our garden on this blog. Other Green Pioneers and I will also post pictures & videos of our progress throughout the semester. 


 A little bit about me:
- I enjoy helping the environment.
- I like gardening, watching the plants grow and helping with the compost even when we get dirty. Green Pioneers Volunteer, Grace Proctor, likes that students have access to a garden and grow plants and cook what we grow even though the school and neighborhood are located in an urban neighborhood in East Oakland.
- I love drawing and reading books with dramatic stories where I can use my imagination and picture what is happening.

Thank you for reading this blog. I hope you will enjoy learning more about Green Pioneers!