Plant project helps Tenney kids GROW!

The real world can be a jungle! But Tenney teacher Sarah McCaffery and her seventh-graders are cultivating their own lush garden space, complete with hands-on life lessons and a big helping of serenity.

Green-thumb McCaffery is sharing her love of science and plants with her students, while also providing a safe and calming space where kids learn about horticulture, responsibility and caring for the earth.

The WINN (What I Need Now) class started after the Covid pandemic to address timely supports for kids. McCaffery says some classes focus on writing or math; her focus is science. Methuen resident Tim Vermette’s foster-plant program – open to all Methuen science teachers for several years – has added a new dimension to the school day. He provides seeds and planting materials in the fall and stops in a few times during the year to lead a workshop and answer questions.

“The kids get SO into it!” McCaffery smiles.

During MethuenLife’s visit, Vermette – who is president of the Methuen Rail Trail – taught the attentive class about making cuttings from established geranium plants. He showed them where to cut, how to use rooting gel, and how to plant and care for the newbies.

“That’s it!” he said, before handing over the job to students. He enjoys sharing his knowledge and giving students some confidence to garden on their own.

In McCaffery’s class, students learn about the unique features of plants, create “plant cards” that provide fun facts and care guidance. Kids handle “plant jobs” like watering, pruning, clearing out dead leaves, fertilizing, etc. Several students were eager to talk about certain plants’ progress and how they eagerly care for them.

Looking down the entire window wall of thriving plants, student Catherine Kay pointed out her favorite – a poinsettia that remains red long after Christmas.

“They’re doing well because we take such good care of them,” she said.

Classmate Aubrey Lopez Frechette gravitates toward an extra-large “cheese plant” that’s come a long way: “This started as a cutting,” she explained, showing off a new leaf that’s bigger than her hand. “We need to dust it (as part of the plant care).”

There’s also a large coleus plant, named Big Mama, that’s been growing in-house about four years and has provided countless cuttings. A cascade of deep pink “Wandering Dude” mingles with plants below, weaving its way through other plants. Nearby, a couple dozen spider plants soak up the rays from a growing light.

Donated plants often make their way to class. One family brought home a Bird of Paradise plant from Hawaii.

“The mom told me, ‘This one isn’t going to make it,’ ” McCaffery smiles. “But it’s still here and going strong!”

Last year, a student wanted to try growing mint after learning it can take over a garden. That “experiment” is now one of the biggest plants on the sill and its thick, healthy stalks intertwine with other nearby plants.

“Mmmmm … can you smell the mint?” McCaffery asks, waving an arm of fuzzy leaves.

“Students like to come back and check on their plants,” McCaffery smiled, saying she gets visits from current eighth-graders as well as high schoolers.

The plethora of plants brings to the classroom a unique sense of calm that some kids seek out, whether the need is emotional or behavioral.

“Caring for the plants is meditative,” McCaffery explained. “Sometimes a student will say, ‘I’m having a day.’ They’ll grab the pruners and do ‘plant work.’ ”

McCaffery and her husband even stop into the Tenney during school breaks to tend to the plants. Once school gets out in June, some of the pots go home with McCaffery, which Simon jokingly refers to as “summer school.”

Teachers who would like to get involved with the plant fostering program can contact Vermette at tim.65@verizon.net.