Planting for the planet: Northampton High’s Environmental Club plants pollinator garden outside school

Safia Abdul-Knerr, left, and Mazen Abdul-Knerr work on planting the pollinator garden at Northampton High School on Monday afternoon. The school’s Environmental Club is planting several native species of flora that will be part of the new garden.

Safia Abdul-Knerr, left, and Mazen Abdul-Knerr work on planting the pollinator garden at Northampton High School on Monday afternoon. The school’s Environmental Club is planting several native species of flora that will be part of the new garden. STAFF PHOTOs/CAROL LOLLIS

Mia Jones gets a plant out of its holder while working with others to plant a new pollinator garden at Northampton High School on Monday afternoon.

Mia Jones gets a plant out of its holder while working with others to plant a new pollinator garden at Northampton High School on Monday afternoon. STAFF PHOTO/CAROL LOLLIS

Philip Zink, front right, Safia Abdul-Knerr, back left, and Clara Bloomenthal work on planting a pollinator garden at Northampton High School on Monday afternoon. The school’s Environmental Club is planting several native species of fauna that will be part of the new garden.

Philip Zink, front right, Safia Abdul-Knerr, back left, and Clara Bloomenthal work on planting a pollinator garden at Northampton High School on Monday afternoon. The school’s Environmental Club is planting several native species of fauna that will be part of the new garden. STAFF PHOTO/CAROL LOLLIS

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

Staff Writer

Published: 06-19-2025 2:09 PM

Modified: 06-19-2025 4:16 PM


NORTHAMPTON — In a small patch of land between Northampton High School and the Hope Northampton church, members of the school’s Environmental Club are hard at work planting several native species of fauna such as the swamp milkweed, the blue-stemmed goldenrod and the clustered mountain mint.

By planting these numerous species, the students aim to have the patch grow into a pollinator garden, where pollinating species like bumblebees and butterflies can thrive, ensuring their survival in an increasingly changing climate.

“The Environmental Club has wanted to do this for awhile,” said Mia Jones, a rising senior at NHS and club member. “But we didn’t really start until this year, planning and really figuring it out.”

The club contacted the city’s Energy and Sustainability Commission, working with its pollinator subcommittee and tree warden Richard Parasiliti through the winter on how to put the garden together. Then the students got to work in May, using a rented rototiller to clear the grass before beginning to dig and plant their first seedlings into the ground.

The plants were donated to the club by Abundance Farm of Northampton. The use of native species can help attract endangered pollinators who only eat pollen and nectar from indigenous plants and provide food sources for young caterpillars who require a specific species of host plant to grow. A stone walkway cuts through the garden, allowing students to walk through it while also facilitating the watering of the plants.

“Our main goal is things that we can do for the environment, and then also at the same time it’s a really good community space,” Jones said. “We have environmental courses at our school and a plant science class, so they can utilize the space as well.”

With everything now planted, it will take about two years for the garden to fully develop, and it must be maintained by the club until then.

“Over the summer, we have someone coming from the club who signed up to water them weekly,” said club member Clara Bloomenthal. “That won’t need to happen after two years. They’ll be good then.”

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Although club leaders like Jones will have graduated at that point, younger club members like Simone Farmer will be there to carry on the work.

“I’ve always been interested in keeping the environment healthy,” said Farmer, who will be a sophomore at NHS next year. “There are a lot of things that are going on in our country right now that are scaring me, so I’m just trying to do what I can.”

Alexander MacDougall can be reached at amacdougall@gazettenet.com.