In the end, we conserve only what we love.

We will love only what we understand.

We will understand only what we are taught.

Baba Dioum

Senegalese poet

IN LATE WINTER, a generic email to Master Gardeners caught my eye, and I responded to Roxbury Principal Abi Sessions' request for a garden helper for the summer. We struck up a correspondence, and she alluded to a garden club at the school. As the snows cleared and the spring sun warmed the ground, a few of the children wanted to plant some seeds.

Inspiration came in part from the school community, which earlier had rallied to give the building a new, green facelift - parents and children groomed the area at the front entrance and planted grass along the sidewalk to the front door. They made two garden beds in the school yard, where children planted carrots, sunflowers and pumpkins. Later, the principal and students planted shade-tolerant hostas around the front edge of the building.

Gordon and I went to the school to meet the principal and some of the students. Abi took us on a tour of the grounds during recess, and a few children, curious about two strangers, tagged along as we visited the little gardens. At the end of recess, eager for lunch, everyone flowed purposefully toward the building. One breathless student, Wesley, stopped and politely waited for the principal to acknowledge him. "Is Writing Club meeting this afternoon?" Writing Club? Really? Yes, it is.

Photo by Christine Barnes, The Northfield News Roxbury Elementary School kids work with adult helpers to green up Roxbury. Emma, back row, left, Tori, Principal Abi Sessions, Master Gardener Gordon Perkinson; Next row: Olivia, Wesley; Front row: Molly, Nolan, Hannah. Once inside, Abi shared some of her thoughts about the garden projects, and what needed to be done over the summer. As we were about to leave, she disappeared briefly and returned with child in-hand. "Hi. I'm Molly. I'm head of the Garden Club." Really? And yes, she is.

The children in this 45-student school seem so empowered, I think to myself. Writing Club? Garden Club? The walls and window sills are filled with children's art and evidence of their learning - portraits of U.S. Presidents; creative critters made from scrap material; little paper birds with glued-on feathers and beak adaptations for the foods they eat; vegetable collages in the manner of Matisse; geometric shapes out of straws, carefully labeled. Students in grades K-6 share multi-age classes, and learn from each other in the process.

Participation in the clubs is fluid: students may come and go, depending on the magnetic pull of the playground, their interest, or whatever. Molly, however, is passionate. She is the constant, the driver, the kid with the vision. A small garden out front looks simple enough, but Molly decides it should become a giant "R", for the school's name. On the next visit, Molly and her friends Emma and Cindy, also members of the club, meet together with Guidance Counselor Lisa McCarthy, Gordon and me in the principal's office to plan the expanded "R". We discuss annuals, perennials, color groupings, color preferences, sun and shade needs, the importance of good dirt, and more. We decide to meet twice a week during recess. And, oh yes, at the end of the school year, the annuals will be dug up and taken home to a child's family. One marigold is reserved for the principal.

The next week, Gordon and I come early, armed with shovels, rakes, trowels, a 25 year-old roto-tiller and a small cart. Although this spring continues to be somewhat cool, four little marigolds the children planted are still hanging in. Gordon roto-tills the remainder of the "R". Wesley and Gordon use the cart to move a small pile of compost from the playground, and the core garden club members, picking up additional students like magnets, begin to clear the roots and mix the soil and compost. Eagerly, the students plant some donated hostas in the shade of the old pine tree, at the top of the letter. One child surveys from the playground fence. "Hey, that looks like an "R"!" Mission accomplished.

Gordon and I pick up a few additional flowering plants to go along with the donated hostas and the ever-hardy marigolds, and return a week later to complete the planting. Molly is joined by Emma, Wesley, Xavier, Nolan, Olivia, Tori, and Emma's Kindergarten sister, Hannah. Molly hands each child a plant, and the digging begins in earnest. Kaitlin totes water from a nearby spigot, and another unspoken rule of gardening, "sow dry, set wet", becomes real to the students.

The final day we meet, the children dig up the barely-established plants to take home to a beloved family member. The remaining hostas (perennials) heave a nearly-audible sigh of relief, and remain where they are. The children mulch what's left of the garden.

What are some of the real lessons here?

You can make something pretty happen with dirt.

You can be playful, and make the garden a school symbol.

Most everything has rules, even gardens.

Lots of kids working together help get a job done faster.

Working together makes the project important to you.

Everyone's job is important.

You have to take care of who and what you love.

Christine Barnes is a resident of Northfield and a Master Gardener.