Fruit Trees and Gardens at Area Public Schools

Putting apples back in the classroom!

To date Help Yourself has planted 88 fruit trees and 180+ fruiting bushes and vines to 13 different public K-12 schools across the Valley. In most cases, students got to spend class outside planting with teachers and some lucky HYS volunteers. In some cases, the schools had some budget for the trees, which funded plantings elsewhere, though they were by and large donated.
  
    Each year, we expand our plantings of herbs and flowers beneath them to form small forest gardens. These plantings offer hands on, outdoors educational opportunities for students, create conditions where teachers and volunteers are supported in their ability to bring gardening, permaculture, and community lessons to the classroom, and create connections between school communities and the landscape they're a part of.

      If you have any connections to public schools in the area, or private schools where plantings could be accessed by the community, please get in touch. If you live near, are involved with any of the schools below and would like to volunteer permaculture, wild edible or other 'workshops' with students, and / or want to help maintain these plantings, please get in touch as well. If you'd like to donate a fruit tree to a specific school - do the same!

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Franklin County:

Barre High School, Barre (Quabbin Regional District)
5/13: Student Tyler Charland put in an orchard at this regional high school for his Eagle Scout project. HYS donated 6 apple trees: 1 Roxbury Russet, 1 Sops of Wine, 1 Mutsu, 1 Freedom and 2 Liberty.

Berkshire Trail Elementary School, Cummington (Central Berkshire District)
5/13: Donated 1 Breda giant medlar, 3 apples (1 cox orange pippin, 1 liberty, 1 gala), 10 asparagus, 10 nannyberry, 5 rugosa rose
8/13: painted a 40' wild edible / medicine plant ID mural at the school.
11/13: pruned existing fruit trees

Greenfield Center School, Greenfield (Franklin County District)
5/13: Donated & chose sites w students: 1 Beurre Bosc and 1 Collette pear, 1 William's Pride apple, 1 Lapin cherry, 7 rugosa roses, 7 nannyberries.

Four Corners School, Greenfield (Franklin County District)
5/13: Donated & planted w students: 10 aspargus, 2 red anjou & 2 beurre bosc pears, and 2 winter banana apples

Four Rivers Charter School, Greenfield (Franklin County District)
11/12: Donated & planted w students: 1 seckle and 1 Bartlett pear, and 4 apples: Grime's golden, Arkblack, Gala & McIntosh
4/13: Donated & planted w students: 4 Concord grapes, 1 green gage, 1 Stanley plum
5/13: Donated & planted w students: 70 native plums, 35 hazlenuts
9/13: Donated & planted w students: 2 hackberry, 5 mulberry trees, 1 red delicious apple

Greenfield High School, Greenfield
Newton Elementary School, Greenfield
The Center School, Greenfield
Federal St. Elementary School, Greenfield

Hampshire County

Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School, Hadley
11/12: Donated & planted w students: 2 Kousa dogwoods, 2 plums (Green Gage, Big Blue), and 2 apple (Grime's Golden, Gala)
5/13: Donated & planted w students: 2 cornelian cherries, 20 american plums, 15 Chinese chestnuts, 3 Asian pears, 5 Nanking cherries, 2 Concord grapes, raised veggie beds, asparagus, rhubarb, sun chokes and more.

NorthStar Learning Center for Teens, Hadley
4/11: Donated & planted w students: 1 Illinois everbearing mullbery, 2 asian pears
4/12: Donated & planted w students: 1 hardy kiwi
4/13: Donated & planted w students: 2 Concord grapes, 6 black currants
11/13: Donated & planted w students: 2 large American persimmons 'Early Delight', pruned trees

Cutchins Center for Children and Families, Northampton
4-6/13: Donated & planted w students: 1 Bartlett and 1 Moonglow pear, 6 hazlenuts, 3 black walnut
9/13: Donated & planted w students: 5 blueberry

Helen E. James Elementary School, Williamsburg
5/13: Donated: 1 Liberty and 1 MacFree apple, 2 Concord grapes
11/13: 2 Stanley plums

Hampshire College, Amherst
4/13: Donated & planted w students: 2 Asian pears, 2 black elders at the Greenwich Forest Garden

University of Massachusetts, Amherst
11/13: 1 Gravenstein apple

Pelham Elementary School, Pelham

Hampden County

Morgan Elementary School, Holyoke
5/13: Donated 3 apple trees (MacFree, Jonafree)

E.N. White Elementary School, Holyoke
5/13: Donated 2 currant bushes

Peck Elementary School, Holyoke
5/13: Donated 3 apple trees (MacFree, Jonafree)

Donahue School, Holyoke

Dean Technical School, Holyoke

Paulo Friere Social Justice Charter School, Holyoke
9/16: 12 beach plums, 1 ginger gold apple