Mo Romeo honored as first Garden Coordinator

Mo Romeo is a pioneer. For 15 years she has been a lynchpin in HFHK’s partnership with the Brandywine School District. “When our Founder Dr. Thianda Manzara piloted this program in 2005, Springer Middle School and Ms. Romeo were the first who truly understood that this little-known concept of school garden education was invaluable to their students,” said Lydia Sarson, HFHK Executive Director. “We celebrate Ms. Romeo’s dedication over these past 15+ years as Springer’s Garden Coordinator and visibly see the impact gardens have had, not just for the school, but for the community at-large”.

Garden Coordinators, like Ms. Romeo, are typically teachers who volunteer to support HFHK’s program within their school. They are the liaison between the partner school and HFHK, helping with activities such as opening and closing the garden for the season, distributing any seeds or materials needed for the garden lessons, and choosing which crops the school will grow.

“It’s because of dedicated educators like Ms. Romeo that over 21,000 students across Delaware are learning how to grow their own food through garden science,” noted Jen Cipolla, HFHK Program Manager. “We simply can’t run this program without our Garden Coordinators and we are so grateful for their dedication and commitment to school garden education. Ms. Romeo was the first! She set the standard and all of Delaware is better because of her generosity.”