A few feet from the main entrance of the Middle School, there is a garden made for giving that has been buzzing with growth this summer.
Genevieve Holman ’30, who participates in National Charity League off-campus, was inspired by a speaker who taught about the concept of “Plant a Row, Give a Row.” The example of a large garden in Wake Forest used to provide produce to food banks.
Holman immediately wanted to create a similar experience at Ravenscroft.
“I was thinking about how I wanted to help the community,” said Holman. She wanted to provide something that people may not have access to – fresh produce. To make this dream a reality, Holman needed to bring her idea to the Middle School Leadership Team. She started by reaching out to Sixth-Grade Level Leader Renee Pitchford.
“I knew she could help me,” said Holman, who approached Pitchford the first week of school in August 2024.
“At first, we thought maybe we would ask the larger community to plant these rows that they would give in their own backyards,” said Pitchford. “Our Service Learning Task Force of students then decided we should actually do this on our campus.”
The students decided that many Lead From Here competencies could be used to implement and maintain the garden. They saw the benefit of using the garden for team building and community service. “We thought it could be a great Service Day project,” said Holman.
“We had a perfect place to plant it, and it was something [the students] felt passionate we could make happen on this campus,” said Pitchford.
Together, Holman and Pitchford began working through the steps to take to create the garden on campus. First, they had to get approval from the Head of Middle School Bernardo Guzmán.
“Mr. Guzmán asked for a lot of details about how much this would cost, what the demand would be and who would do the work,” said Holman. “I went to Homewood Nursery to take inventory on the cost of the materials and emailed him the next day. From there, he was very excited about our idea.”
By the Spring, the beds were installed and the garden was ready to be planted. For the Middle School Day of Service on May 1, 2025, 14 students worked with Pitchford to get the garden ready for the summer harvest.
“It was great to have another Service Day project,” said Pitchford. “We are always looking for partnerships outside of school and things we can do on this campus that benefit the larger Triangle Area.”
As the garden grew, it was benefiting more than just the food bank. The campus critters were very interested in the newly accessible produce.
“We knew it was going to be a problem,” said Pitchford. “[Head of School Derrick Willard] told us the deer were going to come and eat our produce, and that’s exactly what they did.”
While Holman worked to make a temporary solution for the summer, an Upper School student reached out to help.
“Trey Messier ’27 asked if his Eagle Scout Project could be to create a barrier around our garden,” said Pitchford.
Messier knew deer have an ability to get through “anything that isn’t tall and permanent.” He reached out to Director of Facilities Chris Farrow to make a plan.
“As both a Boy Scout and a Raven, I’m always looking for ways to give back to my community,” said Messier. “For my Eagle Scout Project, which is designed to foster leadership while benefiting others, I immediately thought of Ravenscroft, a place that has supported me since Lower School. “After speaking with Mr. Farrow, we decided to install a deer fence around the Middle School garden. I hope to give the Middle School a dedicated and protected space for classes and experiments, where students can grow their love of science and the outdoors without interruption.”
The next step in the process was determining how to donate the produce. But Pitchford said Holman was prepared.
“Genevieve came to us with the idea and the partnership already there,” said Pitchford. “She had already forged this partnership with North Raleigh Food Ministries.”
Steven King, the food pantry coordinator for North Raleigh Food Ministries, was impressed with Holman’s passion for the project. “It’s rare that I come across youth who carry themselves with such maturity and professionalism,” said King. “I could tell right away that this young lady is bound for success in her future! Her love of gardening and her desire to help others are very clear in the way her face lights up as she presents us with her latest yield of veggies from the school garden.”
Over the summer, the school was able to donate four bags of produce. Holman and the Middle School team have a goal to donate eight to 10 times throughout the school year.
“I love working with [the food bank],” said Holman. “I’m excited to see my relationship with [them] grow over time because I want the garden to be an ongoing thing.”
And the future of the garden is in good hands. Pitchford says there will be a garden club where students can take responsibility for watering the plants and keeping track of what is ready to be harvested. The students will also have the opportunity to rotate who makes the donations in order to see the other end of the project.
King says he hopes Holman can keep the project going strong and, “perhaps pass it down to future generations to cultivate and continue to grow fresh food that supports our community for a long time to come.”
“I know as long as Genevieve is on this campus, she’s going to watch over it,” said Pitchford
“I love how people look and see, ‘Oh look, there’s a garden and it’s thriving,’ said Holman. “It makes me happy.”
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