OMGosh, Update the Courtyard

The current courtyard at Elizabeth Seton is currently not very environmentally friendly, has limited seating, and is not very aesthetically pleasing. To fix these issues we plan on designing and planting a completely native Garden and adding more seating and places to socialize. Updating the courtyard will attract potential students, improve biodiversity, and benefit current students and staff.

We work very closely and often check up on each other's progress. We are very supportive of each other and help a lot, even when we have different things we focus on in this project. 

Native Plants benefit wildlife and the environment. Gardens should be planted in layers: an overstory, Understory Canopy, Shrub layer, and ground layer. By planting in layers it prevents invasive species and weeds from growing. We will need to research plants that are available at the time of planting and research where to find native plants for either free or a discounted price; remove invasive plants and prepare the site to be planted; organize a group of volunteers to help with planting, watering, and maintenance;

Jan - Feb

• Find a variety of furniture

• Narrow down the choices by quantity for cost and to maximize space

• Test the soil and site conditions

• Order furniture

Mar - May

• Order plants from Direct Natives and Pollen Nation

• Discuss partnership with the green team and other relevant clubs/associations

• Assemble and arrange furniture

• Remove invasive plants are replace them with native ones (Scheduled work day with green team).

• Create a watering plan for future maintenance

Cost:

Native Plants $615.96

Furniture - $2,232.31

Pavement $2,281.87

Virginia Sweetspire: $21.99 x3

Golden Ragwort: Free x14

Black Eyed Susan: Free x22

Golden Rod: $3.85 x18

New England Aster: $3.85 x11

Scarlet Bee Balm: $3.85 x15

Phlox: $3.85 x28

Green and Gold: $12.99 x21

Seating - $1476.99

Firepit - $265.52

Miscellaneous - $489.80

Paver Base/ Sand: $804.80

Concrete Pavers: $1,258.00

Weed Fabric: $50.91

Plastic Edging: $80.97

River Rock: $77.70

Before Submitting the order form we coordinated with Ms. Hernick and the Green Team. We talked to Ms. Hernick about the watering plan and we are working on scheduling a workday for actually removing current plants and replacing them with natives. Native plants are very abundant now, especially Golden Ragwort and Black Eyed Susans so we are able to find free shares for those plants. 

We plan to put in planting that supports biodiversity and improves the aesthetic of the Courtyard while adding new, spacious tables, and more seating areas so more students can sit outside. With the new courtyard, we would be adding Native plants that conserve water, provide shelter, housing, and food for native life, and native plants are more low maintenance than non-native plants (Prince George’s Audubon Society). The new courtyard would also provide an aesthetically pleasing and accessible outdoor courtyard with enough space for students to eat and socialize. 

We are planning a workday to implement all the furniture, pathways, and plants. As of 5/8 the plants have been ordered so we are waiting for them to arrive along with compost and yard waste bags.

Yellow: Golden Ragwort

Red: Scarlett Bee Balm

Pink: Goldenrod

Blue: Green and Gold

Green: Phlox 

Orange: Existing plants

Here are the plants that will be planted:

This was a huge project for us. We underestimated how many meetings and talking to people we would have to do so we spent a lot of time waiting for answers and permission. 

Designing a Garden was fun the hard part was coordinating with different people and budgeting. We often coordinated a lot with Ms. Hernick, The Green Team, and Sister Ellen Marie. The project definitely has been stressful and felt overwhelming at times but we were working towards a goal that we cared about, making Seton a more enjoyable place for students and staff, and improving the environment on our campus. 

This project has taught us a lot not only about the engineering process but about other life skills like communication, budgeting, and managing a huge project. 

Some organizations are calling property owners to action when it comes to planting native. For example, Homegrown National Park is an organization that has a goal of creating 20 million acres of native plants. To reach this goal individuals should plant natives in their own garden and together combine into a huge National park which spans the whole USA (Homegrown National Park). Planting natives is a way to combat climate change and will improve biodiversity. Native plants benefit pollinators which are crucial in the environment and necessary for the fruit industry. Keystone species are especially important and have a huge effect on biodiversity (George Banziger). 

Caring for Native Plants takes a lot less resources and time than for non-native plants. Minimal watering is required, only about once a week for the first season until the leaves drop in the fall, and then no more watering is required even in the spring and summer. Additionally planting natives reduces the amount of weeding needed, natives are planted close together to crowd out weeds. (Prince Georges Audubon Society).

A small study authored by Dr. Basim Touqan of the British University in Dubai, reports a strikingly large correlation between school courtyards and student satisfaction. From a focus group of two secondary private schools, they concluded that courtyard design has a 37.2% chance of influencing student satisfaction, while its suitability has a 22.9% and attractiveness a 24.5% chance. The study also found that students preferred their courtyards to serve as recreational areas and that thermal comfort, nice decor, and shading were vital to the attractiveness of the courtyard. (Source)