Being in a healthy environment is vital to a student’s learning and academic performance. When in a clean and positive space, students are entitled to feel happier, less stressed, and more productive. This can be achieved in numerous ways, including keeping plants around as well as keeping classrooms clean. BHS’s Garden Club and Green Team strive to do this and more in the 2024-2025 school year. 

Plants are known to have numerous benefits—just being in the presence of plants can boost your mood, focus your concentration, decrease stress, and much more.

The Garden Club, in returning for its second year, has already had its first meeting to work towards achieving these goals and provide a comfortable as well as uplifting community for everyone. Last year, Garden Club launched its first ever year and executed several events: The plant in every classroom initiative, a Mother’s Day terrarium building class, cleaning up the courtyard for lunchtime seating, and more. These projects and events were beneficial not only to the members of the club but also to all other students and staff.

The plant in every classroom initiative was when a plant was placed in each classroom and members of the club would water said plants regularly. This way, all teachers could experience the many benefits of having a plant around, with the task of caring for it out of their hands.

In May, the Mother’s Day terrarium building class was held in the cafeteria. This event allowed mothers and their kids to bond, while learning to make a beautiful terrarium to take home with them. The Garden Club also began cleaning up the courtyard next to the history hallway to give students another spot to eat and talk during lunch. 

This year, the Garden Club plans to continue last year’s projects. The plant in every classroom initiative will be continued and members have already begun more work on the courtyard as well. After pulling weeds, piling soil, and adding other touches, students will have a new, tidied, and comfortable spot to go to during lunch.

Maggie Todd ‘27, a returning member of the Garden Club gave her insight as to how environment-based clubs are pivotal to BHS.

Garden Club and projects like these are a crucial part of BHS because they bring awareness about the importance of plants and nature. High school students tend to generally be very stressed, and plants can serve as a remedy for this. Simply having a plant in a classroom can help to manage stress, improve well-being, enhance focus, and boost mental health. 

Another club at BHS, Green Team, strives to achieve similar goals to the Garden Club. Both are centered around making BHS obtain a healthy environment for the benefit of all students and staff.

Green Team specifically is crucial in the upkeep of BHS and promoting good habits pertaining to clean environments. The club’s projects include the NexTrex Plastic recycling challenge, which has the goal of recycling 1,000 pounds of plastic film by the end of October. So far, with the support of five businesses in Bernardsville, a remarkable 650 pounds has been collected. If and when the goal is met, a bench made entirely out of plastic will be given to the team as well as impactful recognition.

Additionally, twenty of the team members went to Bernardsville’s Audubon this past May for an afternoon of service.

Claire Taylor ‘25, President of Green Team, shared her views on the club:

Like Taylor said, the Green Team has set out to make BHS even better environmentally and is on track to do so. All around BHS, action is being taken to ensure that students are surrounded by a clean, healthy, and uplifting environment. Through these clubs and their projects like the plant in every classroom initiative and the NexTrex Plastic recycling challenge, BHS can be the best, sustained, clean place it can be, for the well-being and health of the students and staff.