Published: Aug 30, 2025 7:00 am
The community is invited to a ribbon cutting ceremony for a brand new outdoor garden classroom at Newtown Middle School (NMS) on Tuesday, September 2 at 5:45 pm. The event will be followed with a garden open house from 6-7 pm.
The outdoor garden classroom will serve as a sustainable, dynamic extension of student learning and wellness programming, offering opportunities for hands-on, interdisciplinary education.
Students will participate in activities designed to support healthy living, environmental stewardship, and lifelong wellness.
The program offers sustainable garden student endeavors. Students will plan, plant, and maintain the garden, learning essential skills while fostering a deeper connection to the environment.
Lessons will highlight healthy eating and the origins of food, and have outdoor fitness and movement integrated into the curriculum.
Other key features include: healthy cooking classes, where students will use garden-grown and locally sourced ingredients to prepare nutritious meals, and health and wellness education, where they will explore the emotional, social, and physical benefits of gardening and mindful living.
Students in the middle school’s gardening club will maintain the area, but the garden will be open as a peaceful space for everyone to reflect and connect with nature.
The NMS garden is made possible through a $35,544 grant awarded by School-Based Health Alliance (SBHA), a national nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C.
NMS physical education teacher Michelle Fontaine, who will be the gardening club’s advisor this year, said the grant was acquired by School-Based Health Center Nurse Practitioner Ariel Belek Kohn.
“This is really all because of her,” Fontaine said.
Above all else, Fontaine said she is excited to see people enjoy the space.
Superintendent of Schools Anne Uberti said this initiative “reflects the district’s ongoing commitment to student well-being, experiential learning, and cultivating lifelong healthy habits.”
She added, “We are deeply grateful to the School-Based Health Alliance for their generous support in helping us bring this vision to life.”
The grant was contracted in early 2025, and the funds needed to be fully expended by June 30.
Local landscape designer Dan Holmes, of Holmes Fine Garden, worked with the district to design and install the innovative outdoor learning space.
In addition to the garden, the SBHA grant made possible an upgrade to the food science classroom. The School Facilities team added two cooking stations to the existing four, maximizing hands-on learning opportunities for food science students.
The ribbon cutting ceremony will celebrate not only the launch of the outdoor garden classroom but also the broader collaboration between the Board of Education, educators, families, and community partners who support student growth and wellness.
People can support the gardening club with cash donations, which helps them buy tools and maintain the garden. The club is also accepting material donations such as tools, soils, mulch, seeds, and more. Contact Michelle Fontaine at fontainem@newtown.k12.ct.us to see what items the club needs and to arrange drop-off.
To celebrate the opening of its outdoor garden classroom, Newtown Middle School will host a ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday, September 2. The ceremony will be followed by a garden open house.—Bee Photos, Visca
Local landscape designer Dan Holmes, of Holmes Fine Garden, planted a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and herbs before the start of the school year, such as mint, garlic, cilantro, and more. This bed happens to have a patch of basil and spinach growing inside.
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