Nestled in the Fort Hill neighborhood within the heart of Roxbury lies the quaint Nathan Hale Elementary School. If you make your way past the vibrant gates and grand wall mural to wind around the back of the historic school building, you will discover something new this year - their own school garden.

Returning to school means returning to the garden for thousands of Cambridge and Boston-area youth. After the last two years of unpredictability, school gardens have proven to be dependable safe spaces for children to freely explore both the natural world and themselves.