Jane Hirschi

Jane Hirschi's life work is the introduction of garden-based education to K-5 students in Cambridge and Boston. Hirschi started CitySprouts twenty years ago when she was a parent at the Haggerty Elementary school in Cambridge. Today, there is a CitySprouts garden at each of Cambridge’s 12 Public K-5 schools. The gardens, supported by CitySprouts’ garden coordinators and community volunteers, provide a living laboratory for teachers and students, enriching their learning in STEAM education. As well as providing programming throughout the academic year, CitySprouts runs a Summer internship program for motivated middle school students. The students grow flowers, fruits, vegetables, and herbs for eight weeks. The program concludes with a Garden Expo, where the students cook for and serve their fellow gardeners, families, and neighbors. In the past five years the program has crossed the river to Boston, where eight schools now have CitySprouts gardens.