(The article below, which appeared in the Autumn 2007 edition of our school's quarterly Alumni & Friends Association Newsletter, describes the first year of our school's Garden Project.)

Attendant with the recent Halloween festivities and preparations for Thanksgiving, images of pumpkins are presently a common sight for our children. As we remind them, this is a special time of year in which we contemplate, and give thanks for, the products of nature -- truly, God's bounty -- which have been bestowed upon us. This year, many children of our school experienced the wonder of the processes of nature through their participation in the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's City Garden Competition (CGC).

The 2007 CGC involved multiple schools in the Philadelphia area. The goal of this competition is to inspire participants with an enhanced understanding and appreciation of the wonders of nature - particularly with respect to plant life. In spring, each school established gardens which they tended all summer; at the end of the year, each garden was evaluated by the CGC and winners were selected.

Our school's participation in the program began last winter when all of our children in grades pre-K through eighth began germinating seeds to be eventually planted in our garden. The site selected for the garden was the lawn on the south side of the now vacant SFX Convent, at 24^th and Green streets. Mr. Brendan Petersen, Saint Francis Xavier's Director of Catholic Formation and Evangelization, who works with our children and their families throughout the year, led the SFX children who participated in this project during the summer months. He relates the steady progression in the children's awareness, and of the quality of the garden, during that period. Fortuitously, the SFX garden participants had the added assistance of several teachers, parents and grandparents who are avid garden enthusiasts.

By the time in September when the CGC came to evaluate our garden, it was a thing of beauty. Our children's work received second place honors in the city-wide competition. That prize was awarded on October 21, in the Wannamaker Crystal Tea Room. On October 6, the garden was part of a tour of many such gardens conducted by the Horticultural Society and the White Dog Café. The Café described SFX as one of four exceptional youth/school run programs in Philadelphia. In recognition of their efforts, our 7^th Grade students have been selected for participation in PHC's Green City Youth Program. That program involves field trips and various gardening projects; SFX was the only Catholic School so designated. Our congratulations go out to the children, Mr. Petersen, and all of the teachers, parents and grandparents who were involved.

Each of the children in this year's Kindergarten class recently took home a pumpkin which they planted last spring during their younger days in our pre-K class.