Downer
A dedicated group of community volunteers and school employees teamed up to establish a school garden at McManus Elementary this past February. The garden includes nine raised beds, trellises, and signs identifying different vegetables and berries which have been planted by the students.
Over Memorial Day Weekend, the garden was hit for the second time by vandals, who pulled up plants and signs, snapped the trellises, and walked through the garden beds.
Like many of Chico's schools, McManus's campus serves as a park of sorts for the community; during non-school hours citizens frequently use the basketball courts, play fields, etc. The McManus garden is located in the center of the campus to maximize student access and involvement. However, school buildings shield the garden from the view of casual passersby on East Avenue, thus allowing bored vandals to deface the garden in relative seclusion, especially in the early hours of the morning.
It angers me that there are people in our community who are so willfully destructive and hurtful, but at the same time I pity what their lives must be like, if this is one of their favorite pastimes.
It is a sad and frustrating situation to try and solve.
Survellience cameras have been suggested, but there is no money available at the moment, and I am skeptical that it will work--And besides, cameras need to be maintained, footage needs to be viewed, etc.
Others believe that we should fence off the garden area and put it under lock and key. But I fear that this would turn the garden into a compound or a fortress, rather than a space of smiles and reflection.
I told Debra, the Garden Educator at McManus, to rebuild, plant again, and in doing so show and teach determination to the students who have been effected.
In the mean time, I plead to the community to recognize that a school garden that is accessible to the greater population becomes a community garden, hopefully to be enjoyed by all. If you live near McManus Elementary, or any other school that has a school garden, please keep an eye out.
A community that cares is the best defense against those who don't.