Over the past few months, starting in late April, Builders Beyond Borders teamed up with Westport GVI, in constructing seven community gardens at public schools in Bridgeport. Our efforts were appreciated by the students, parents and staff of these schools, and by the mayor of Bridgeport, Bill Finch. Together we took on these important and challenging projects to build a better world.

Jump to Project: Dunbar School / Barnum Elementary School / Beardsley Elementary School / Waltersville School / Classical Studies Academy / Thomas Hooker Elementary School / Winthrop Elementary School

Dunbar School: 445 Union Avenue, Bridgeport, CT

The Dunbar School garden was our first project this spring. On April 30th, a dozen or so B3 and GVI volunteers, along with members of the school, and the Mayor of Bridgeport, Bill Finch, built eight raised garden beds, filled them with top soil, and planted vegetables, herbs and flowers.


Barnum Elementary School: 295 Waterview Avenue, Bridgeport, CT

Our second garden build took place on May 7th, at Barnum Elementary School. This was to be an in ground garden and volunteers first completely weeded the existing garden space, then created raised beds with fresh top soil. We then planted the gardens and lastly the walking paths were raked level so wood chips could be installed.

Beardsley Elementary School: 500 Huntington Road, Bridgeport, CT

The project at Beardsley was our first garden to be built directly on asphalt. Volunteers first filled wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow with gravel to lay down as a base layer, while others were constructing the raised garden bed boxes. With the boxes in place on the gravel base layer, volunteers filled them with topsoil and then finally planted the gardens, including a bed devoted to starter plants the Beardsley students grew.

Waltersville School: 95 Gilmore Street, Bridgeport, CT

At the Waltersville School garden project, B3 students and GVI volunteers worked side by side with members of the school community constructing 12 4’x10’ raised garden beds. Even Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch and his children got their hands dirty on this project. The beds were then filled with fresh topsoil and, of course, the vegetables, herbs and flowers were planted.

Classical Studies Academy: 240 Linwood Avenue, Bridgeport, CT

The Classical Studies Academy garden was a unique project, in that it was a very small garden build and required the removal of a small man-made stream and pond. Volunteers tugged, pried and pulled heavy rocks, rubber matting, mud and debris from the garden site. They then filled in the pond and stream with fresh topsoil and built two small in ground garden beds. To finish it off, volunteers made a rock pathway through the garden.

Thomas Hooker Elementary School: 138 Roger Williams Road, Bridgeport, CT

At the Thomas Hooker Elementary School garden project, nearly a hundred students and parents turned out to help the B3 students, GVI interns and volunteers. Eight 4’x’8’ raised garden beds were installed in short order. The garden beds were quickly filled with topsoil and planted all by 12:00 noon.

Winthrop Elementary School: 85 Eckart St, Bridgeport, CT

The Winthrop Elementary School project was the last garden to be constructed this spring. The B3 and GVI volunteers built this small garden into a slight slope, so there was a need to terrace the raised garden beds. They built two small square beds and two 3’x8’ beds connected to each other, and an additional four 3’x8’ beds connected to each other. The beds were then filled and planted and the pathways were covered with donated wood chips.