Offering offering education from grade K1 to Grade 5, plus K0 for ELL students, the Josiah Quincy Elementary School’s Mission Statement 約賽亞昆士小學宗旨 states: We seek to provide a challenging academic program that gives all students the means to meet high standards and achieve their best, to foster sound habits of mind and action, and to instill in our students such virtues as integrity, respect, and self discipline.

The Josiah Quincy Elementary School (JQES), located on Oak Street in Boston, has recently accomplished a schoolyard beautification project by installing a 20′ x 4′ G-O2 Living Wall.

The living wall greets students, parents, staff, and visitors at the school’s side entrance with a unique design of the letters “JQS” by Recover Green Roofs. Benches made from recycled material surround the living wall and allow visitors to enjoy a peaceful backdrop of perennial grasses and groundcovers hardy to the Boston area.

The living wall will serve as the anchor for an environmental project to support earth science curriculum objectives for students. Recover and the JQES staff wanted to design an irrigation system that would promote student involvement. By connecting a funnel to the standard drip irrigation system on top of the panels, fourth grade students can water the green wall. They will also take photos to document the longitudinal growth and changes throughout the seasons, and learn to prune and maintain the wall from a horticulturist.

The JQES green wall has beautifully transformed the appearance of the site, softening the existing concrete and now welcoming visitors into the new space. The vertical garden is not the only “green” element the school has set forth. JQES also installed a rooftop garden, further demonstrating sustainability and green living for its students and local residents.