Highland Hall Waldorf School Selected to Participate in Fritz Haeg's 2013 "Wildflowering LA"
Northridge, CA (PRWEB) January 16, 2014 -- Highland Hall Waldorf School is proud to announce its participation in Wildflowering LA, a native wildflower seed planting initiative by artist Fritz Haeg, and sponsored by The Theodore Payne Foundation for Wildflowers and Native Plants and LAND (Los Angeles Nomadic Division), which specializes in contemporary public art projects.
Beginning October, 2013, fifty sites throughout Los Angeles were selected based on public visibility. These included vacant lots, front yards, schools, and parkway strips. Depending on the site’s geography, a custom wildflower mix was chosen and provided free of charge, along with instruction on the planting and maintenance of the plots. The mixes were inspired by Reyner Banham’s 1971 book Los Angeles: The Architecture of Four Ecologies, and included Coastal, Flatlands, Hillside, and Roadside options. Highland Hall and its Garden Gnome Society, which supports the school's biodynamic farm, planted the Flatlands mix of Achillea Millefolium (White Yarrow), Clarkia Purpurea (Winecup Clarkia), Clarkia Unguiculata (Elegant Clarkia), Eschscholzia Californica (California Poppy), Gilia Tricolor (Bird's Eye Gilia), Layia Platyglossa (Tidy Tips), Lupinus Truncatus (Collared Annual Lupine), and Stipa Pulchra (Purple Needlegrass).
The area chosen for the wildflower installation at Highland Hall is on the northwest corner of the school's campus, facing the residential intersection of Amestoy and Superior Streets in Northridge.
"If you drive past there, you will see the beautiful 4’ by 5’ wood sign installed in what will become a meadow when the flowers emerge," says Nitza Bernard, Highland Hall's biodynamic farmer and gardening teacher. "The sign was designed by Knowhow Shop in Highland Park to intentionally resemble state park signs and symbolically bring a touch of wilderness into the city landscape."
The 2013 Wildflowering LA project will culminate with an exhibition in the spring when the wildflower meadows across the city have bloomed. Dates and times for Highland Hall's event will be announced.
"Although this project lasts only for a few months, from planting to when the flowers are at their peak, it is a great way to invite the public, as well as our students to observe the beautiful journey wildflowers take from seed to flowering, and back to seed again. And, it is just the beginning of our efforts to plant more native plant species on our campus and in other urban spaces," says Bernard.
Highland Hall Waldorf School, a private school located in Northridge, CA, was founded in 1955, and is the oldest Waldorf school on the west coast. It provides Waldorf® Education from Pre-school through High School to families throughout the San Fernando Valley and the greater Los Angeles area. Biodynamic farming techniques are integrated into the curriculum. Public gardening and other school events benefiting the Los Angeles community are held on the school's 11 acre campus throughout the school year. Highland Hall's unique approach to learning successfully addresses the changing needs and capacities of children at each stage of development. Fully 98% of its high school graduates move on to renowned colleges and universities; 42% of Waldorf graduates pursue college majors in mathematics or science. Featuring a curriculum of academically challenging lessons infused with arts and hands-on learning, Highland Hall provides students with a solid academic foundation, the ability to think creatively, a sympathetic interest in the world, self-confidence, and an abiding moral purpose.
Rebecca Varon, Highland Hall Waldorf School, http://www.highlandhall.org, +1 818-349-1394 Ext: 233, [email protected]
Share this article