Four Fair Lawn High School students worked under the guidance of the Student Conservation Association for three weeks this summer to build a walking path, clear debris and improve drainage and other conditions at the 17-acre Fair Lawn Arboretum.
Kathy Meneghin, a science teacher at FLHS who uses the space for her horticulture classes, contracted the SCA, a non-profit organization that provides young people with the opportunity to do meaningful work that makes a positive impact on the world around them. This program involved hiring the Fair Lawn students to construct a walking path to make the area more accessible to the public and introduced the students to career options in conservation and outdoor/environmental leadership.
Students Aviva Zand, Noah Mandel, Zach Markowitz, and Julia Rios joined forces to build a walking trail nearly half a mile long. They also built a 12-ft bridge to cross a small stream, and improved the drainage of the stream. A turnpike was built to allow pedestrians to walk across an area that is frequently flooded.
Ms. Meneghin raised $12,000 to fund this project, mainly by selling Pop Tarts from a snack cart. The SCA also matched the donations from privately funded sources.
From Pablo Galesi, SCA coordinator: “I was so impressed with the amount of work that this small crew had accomplished in 9 days and can say confidently that they were one of the hardest working crews I have seen during my time with SCA.”