PS 35 Greenhouse Project Blooms Thanks to Funding from Con Ed
and CSI
Growing Plants, Respect, and
Enthusiasm
February 4, 2008
 The students at PS 35, a school on Staten Island’s North Shore that
serves children in grades K through 5, are growing a lot more than
plants in their greenhouse, thanks to the College of Staten Island
and Con Edison. After receiving a $20,000 grant from Con Ed, CSI’s
Discovery Institute and its Teaching Scholars program have enlisted
CSI students to go to PS 35 and help the children and their teachers
run the greenhouse. As a result, the green inhabitants of the
facility are happier, but so is everyone involved: the
schoolchildren, the CSI students, and the teachers.
 The Greenhouse Project is a supplemental program, focusing on
science and the environment. CSI faculty, including Biology
Department Chair Richard Veit, and Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Ralf Peetz contribute their expertise, advice, and supervision in
regard to the curriculum, while Ivin Doctor, director of the
Teaching Scholars program coordinates CSI student involvement.
Ashleigh Groth, an elementary education major at CSI and one of the
two Teaching Scholars involved, says that her “experience with this
program has just been unbelievable. Being able to do different
grades definitely helped to let me know where I want to be as a
teacher, what grade level works best for me… I was able to learn
that I worked better with younger children and I thought, actually,
that I was going to [work with] older children. So, that really
helped me to find myself.” As for her impact on the children, Groth
adds, “through the Greenhouse Project, working with all the
different grades, seeing what their abilities are in science, and
being able to help them work hands-on in the greenhouse, I think
that the program is excellent. The greenhouse allows children to
come out of the classroom with hands-on experience, visualizations,
[experience in] working with groups, and with us being there we’re
able to circulate through the groups and actually make sure that
they’re doing the work, and that they understand why we’re doing
this.”
 The Project’s other Teaching Scholar is Debbie Miranda, an education
major at CSI who will be receiving her associate’s degree this
semester. She relates a similar experience of self-discovery through
the Project. “I first came to school in hopes of going into
psychology and I got involved with Mr. Doctor. Because of that, I
decided to go into education and I started working with high school
students. I’m now working with elementary students, so I’ve had the
opportunity to see children at all different ages. Working with the
children in the Greenhouse Project, I get to see them work hands-on
and actually understand what’s going on with science. And I actually
found that that’s where I want to be in education.” Hoping
eventually to teach special education, Debbie has chosen to give
additional assistance to students who are lagging behind the others
to help them catch up.
Doctor explains that the students who become Teaching Scholars are
often those who initially are not going into education. Through
Teaching Scholars, CSI students are placed in actual classroom
situations with the hope that they will get a better idea of their
career goals after the experience. Even if they decide against an
education career, Doctor said that the experience is “a win/win”
because CSI students enhance the educational experience of their
pupils, while discovering more about their career paths while also
getting paid.
 Building on the theme of discovery, Doctor says that the Greenhouse
Project puts a new spin on science education. “Science in the
elementary school is often handled in a very dry, robot-like manner
because the teachers themselves aren’t comfortable with the [topic.
This Project] is almost like a marriage because it’s a discovery
situation, which is what we are all about.” The children learn from
the CSI mentors, and the mentors learn from the schoolchildren and
the teacher.
Ralf Peetz recalls that the Project began initially as a way to
provide support to the greenhouse, but explains, “the bigger goal
behind it is to give the kids a respect and appreciation of the
environment around them—the sciences, life sciences—by providing
them with role models [who are] helping the teacher. But it’s a give
and take on both sides, in essence. The kids get more out of the
greenhouse, so it can be used to the full extent, and there are
plans to introduce creative writing and reading in connection with
the greenhouse so it’s being used in more dimensions than were
originally conceived.” At the same time, Peetz continues, “science
is not a foreign vocabulary anymore but it’s a hands-on experience,
it gets respect, and you just grow up in a different way
appreciating it… I think this provides the kids with tremendous
opportunities, as well as everybody who’s connected.”
 “As a company dedicated to education and environmental excellence,
Con Edison partners with institutions like the College of Staten
Island that share its concerns for preserving and protecting the
environment through conservation and beautification projects and
educational initiatives,” said Mark Irving, Director of Public
Affairs for Con Ed. “Working with CSI on the greenhouse and
environmental studies program at PS 35 is an example of community
and corporate entities taking steps to enhance the quality of life
for all and instill values in future generations. It’s important
that our customers know that preserving the environment is part of
our business philosophy and we are willing to team up with them to
educate our children to build and maintain strong and stable
neighborhoods. This project will help professors and students, at
the college- and grade school-level to cultivate a "green
consciousness."
“This is part of a benevolent cycle of giving,” said Robert E.
Huber, Vice President for Institutional Advancement at CSI. “We are
grateful to Con Edison for their funding, and proud of our continued
strategic partnership with Staten Island schools. This wonderful
program will instill a love of nature and a sense of environmental
stewardship in our schoolchildren, and will ultimately have
far-reaching benefits to our entire community. I look forward to
working with Mark, and all our friends at Con Ed, on future
projects.”
At present, the Greenhouse Project only has funding for one year,
but Peetz and Doctor hope that they will secure more financial
support to continue this community partnership and its important
work.
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