Central Park

The Daily Plant : Wednesday, May 16, 2001

WITH THE HELP OF GREENTHUMB, PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS MAKE THEIR OWN GARDEN

Photo by Spencer (Flasher) Tucker

Garden of Angels is an apt name for a rooftop garden. But the name only hints at the blessings and divine community intervention that gave birth to the Lillian Weber School's third and maybe their most spectacular garden, designed by Edie Kane of GreenThumb.

In July of 1999, the gardens of P.S. 84 were adopted by GreenThumb, the branch of Parks that supports over 400 community gardens in all five boroughs. GreenThumb outfits community groups with seeds and bulbs, cement, gloves, and bulletin boards, many of the materials that bring a garden to physical life. But the operative ingredient in making a green space, as is clear in the Garden of Angels, is the commitment of the gardeners. The Garden of Angels was brought to life and will be sustained by teachers, students, and community members working with each other and with Parks that will feed our appetite for open spaces, and providing a teaching environment for students.

The Garden of Angels is decorated with murals and tiles created by students. Each wall features a different ecosystem. And each tile depicts the plants and critters to be found in the park. The park's opening ceremony, held Friday, May 11 in the new garden at 32 West 92nd Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue was well attended by students, teachers, and community members. From the new gazebo, musical students, entertained the guests with violin playing and drumming. Gardener Susan Knaster looks forward to bringing classes out to the garden right away. It's been designed to hold multiple classes at once.

GreenThumb will continue to provide technical support including materials and educational programs.

WHAT DO PARKS AND PRINTING PRESSES HAVE IN COMMON?

For the ribbon cutting Friday, May 11, Gutenberg Playground's .83 acres were packed with talented students as the High School of Graphic Communication Arts, nee New York School of Printing, celebrated its 75th anniversary. The playground takes its name and its life force from activities at the school. Appropriately, their celebrations were intertwined. With $677,000 from State Senator Thomas (Reade) Duane, and Council Member Christine (Mighty) Quinn, Parks added a new handball court. We upgraded the benches, pavement and fencing, and greened the playground with new plantings. The playground's concrete surface spawned not only scholars of printing but athletes. There, NHL all-stars Brian and Joey Mullen honed their roller hockey skills before taking them to more expansive arenas.

Like its playground, the High School of Graphic Communication Arts is enjoying new features. Through the Sister Cities program, they are developing a relationship with the London School of Printing. In his address, Commissioner Henry J. (StarQuest) Stern invited students from this side of the ocean and the other to make friends not only in the classroom, but on the handball court.

He also unveiled an historical sign that tells the history of Gutenberg Playground. From this sign visitors can learn that the playground is named for Johann Gutenberg, the European inventor of movable type and printer of the Gutenberg Bible.

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO IN THE PLANT
(Wednesday, May 11, 1988)

BUDGET MARATHON MAN

Paul Ruston, an Analyst in the Arsenal Budget Office, came in first at the New Jersey Waterfront 10 Kilometer (6.2) race on Sunday, April 24. Over 4,000 runners participated in the race, which started in Liberty State Park and wound through several New Jersey towns. Ruston clocked an impressive 30 minutes and 45 seconds.

The 25-year-old parkie is not new to the racing circuit,. As a student at the Rochester Institute of Technology, where he received his B.S. in Management, Ruston was a four-time NCAA All-American in track and cross-country. Last July, Ruston was one of 100 Americans invited to compete in the Pan-American Maccabi Games in Caracas, Venezuela. He won the 5,000 meter race in track and the half-marathon.

Know Before You Go

Harlem Meer Center (formerly Lasker Rink)

Harlem Meer Center