Garden Educator Spotlight: Felicia Hayes
Felicia (she/her) is the Garden Educator at Maria Baldwin Elementary, Morse Elementary, Pauline A. Shaw Elementary, Higginson Lewis K-8 School, and David Ellis Elementary. This is Felicia’s first year at CitySprouts! Find out more about Felicia below.
What originally inspired you to get involved in youth garden education?
Although I wasn’t aware of it at the time, my neighborhood elementary school’s garden is maintained by CitySprouts. When passing by it one day this summer I was so struck by how lush and vibrant it looked, I decided to see it up close. CitySprouts’ mission printed on the garden shed door sign spoke to the retired elementary school science teacher in me. Serendipity. I went to the website, saw the opening, applied, and the rest is history.
How do you navigate challenges like space limitations or differing levels of school support for the garden initiatives?
My goal is to help kids appreciate the wonders of nature, understand some of the science underpinning it, and enjoy health benefits that stem from being in natural environments. And I’m flexible about how to make that happen.
For example, recently, a teacher came to the garden to let me know her class would not be able to come for weeks while waiting for an issue to be resolved. Now, just between us, I’m almost certain this teacher didn’t see that as a loss for their students. They don’t appear to be a fan of outdoor classrooms. But then I gave them an offer they couldn’t refuse: I’d bring an abridged and virtually dirt free version of my lesson to their classroom.
I’m confident that my familiarity with public schools in general and Boston Public Schools in particular, coupled with my willingness to adjust so that lessons happen will be indispensable navigating tools. And it also helps to know that City Sprouts administrators have my back and will advocate for what students need.
Could you share a treasured memory of being outdoors that impacted you deeply?
My grade school science teacher, Mr. Krein, was a naturalist. He would sometimes take my class to a forested area near the school. I found it both exhilarating and scary because I hadn’t had experiences of being in such a densely wooded place. I don’t remember what he intended to teach us during those excursions, but I’ll always remember the day he attempted to serve us woodchuck hamburgers and cattail salad for lunch. Yuck!
If your life had a theme song, what would it be?
“Scatterlings of Africa” by Johnny Clegg.
If you could live in any fictional universe, where would it be?
This is a no-brainer. Wakanda FOREVER!
What’s one item on your bucket list that you’re determined to check off soon?
I want to go try freediving in Dahab, Egypt.
What’s one fashion trend you would love to see make a comeback?
Trends don’t interest me. I don’t want to be like everybody else.