Manerba Middle School Students Launch Botanical Garden Project During Tree Festival

The middle school students of Manerba are transforming into young botanists, dreaming of creating a Mediterranean garden in the school courtyard. A challenging project that will officially begin this morning with the Festa dell’albero (Tree Festival), an event open to everyone during which the initiative will be presented: three flower beds, which will become property of the school, and thus of all the students who will attend the Manerba school in the future. This school has already distinguished itself in this type of initiative last year, involving students in the development of a highly documented book about the Rocca di Manerba, which was recently printed by the municipal administration.

The Collaboration Between School and Community

The project, which involves five teachers and three extended-day classes out of six present in Manerba, is inspired by recent recommendations from President Ciampi regarding “environmental” education. The students, who will dedicate two hours a week to the project, will study not only the history of gardens in Europe with all its literary implications but also research local plant species, with the ultimate goal of designing a botanical area in harmony with the surrounding environment.

From this perspective, the school hopes to receive collaborative support from the highly active local floriculture sector, which can be very helpful in choosing the plants and flowers to be planted, as well as providing advice. Architectural aspects will also be considered, since the students have been invited to design decorative structures in wood and iron.

Claudio Andrizzi