Twelve Link students accompanied twelve students from Pingry School in Martinsville, NJ to Newark Science and Sustainability, Inc., an urban garden a residential neighborhood in the city of Newark. These 24 scholars have been partnering together in our joint "Peer-To-Peer Pingry and Link Program," in which the students have been meeting via Zoom regularly since last spring - discussing current events as well as sharing stories and insight from their respective school experiences, while building friendships and networking skills. The trip to Newark Science and Sustainability was an enriching opportunity to work together, to give back to others, and to learn about urban farming and sustainability. Students worked together to clean the urban farm (plot of land in Newark dedicated to helping grow food to feed local families). Mr. Tobias Fox, founder and managing director, spoke with the students about his journey to becoming a community activist and about how he has spread his knowledge and skills around Newark and other communities around the globe. In addition to learning about the urban farming and gardening business and skills, the students also had time outdoors to play, laugh, and learn about each other, and reflect on their community service experience.
At the same time, a group of students from Pingry visited Link to work on a project for the school, as part of their annual Rufus Gunther Day of Community Service, a day when Pingry students give back to the greater NJ community. Along with several Linkers, they sorted loads and loads of books collected over time into three categories: to give to students, to donate to other organizations, and to toss.
