May '25 News Blog
News briefs from the HCC campus and beyond
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Garden Treasures
While “bioblitz” might sound like some kind of mass extinction event, it is actually a term that describes a quick, non-invasive survey of biodiversity in a specific area. On the last Friday of the spring semester, Professor Leah Ewing sent her Bio 101 students out for a bioblitz at Hidden Treasures, a community garden behind the Sullivan Middle School on Jarvis Avenue. “The garden was a cultural center used by all the people living in the housing complexes around here and also by the school for a gardening program,” said Ewing. “But it went by the wayside during the pandemic, and we’re trying in small ways to bring it back to life.” For the blitz, students were tasked with counting as many plants, insects and other living things as they could in 20 minutes. “There’s something crawling right here,” said Mia McGregor, a communications major from Agawam. “I think it’s a jumping spider. Maybe. I almost got it but it’s better at hide and seek than I am.” Each pairing of students found anywhere from 15 to 30 different species. Among their key findings: wild strawberries, raspberries, wild chives, mushrooms, worms, spiders, lettuce (growing in an old raised bed), a woodchuck hole under a garden shed, and bitterdock, an invasive plant toxic to dogs and cats. For the second part of their assignment, they randomly tossed Hula Hoops and surveyed all the life inside the circle. Ewing took on the garden as a Community Service Learning project in partnership with Nuestras Raices. The results will be used to figure out what plants should be kept and propagated and which should be removed. “Then, Nuestras Raices will bring its own groups in, and the school will also come in and help get the garden going again,” said Ewing. “We’re going to try to keep doing this every yea to raise the overall biodiversity in this area.” PHOTOS: (Above) Biology instructor Leah Ewing hands out Hula Hoops for a biodiversity survey at Hidden Treasures community garden. (Thumbnail) Students Mia McGregor, left, and Ginger Futrell search for life in the Hidden Treasures garden.
A True Community Partnership
The HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute recently received two awards from area organizations for being a good community partner. The United Way Pioneer Valley honored HCC’s culinary arts institute with an impact award during its annual “Champion of Change” celebration, held at the CAI on May 1. In partnership with HCC, the United Way has operated a food pantry out of the culinary arts institute since 2023, with the college offering cooking instructions to food pantry patrons. “It’s wheelchair accessible, veteran accessible, children accessible – anybody that needs food can come,” Jessica Prokop, chief development officer for United Way Pioneer Valley. Facility coordinator Stacy Graves accepted the award on behalf of HCC. “I think this award is important for a number of reasons,” said Jeff Hayden, HCC vice president of business and community services. “Partnering with the United Way has made a huge difference in the neighborhood around the culinary arts institute, because it provides fresh food on a regular basis. Stacy is being recognized for her willingness to go above and beyond her regular duties. In addition to the food pantry, she helps manage the HCC food truck, which goes out into the community to do educational events on nutrition. It’s a true community partnership.”
(Above) A student works in the kitchen at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute.
Culinary Kudos Continues
The HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute also received a community partnership award from the Western New England University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Chef Tracy Carter, chair of HCC’s culinary arts program, CAI facilities coordinator Stacy Graves, and HCC culinary arts alum and instructor Marangelly Vargas Gonzalez ’24 worked with the WNEU team to organize a six-week week Cooking with Confidence class at the CAI for an WNEU student whose capstone project focused on students with disabilities in the kitchens. Chef Carter and Vargas Gonzalez accepted the Occupational Therapy Community Partnership Award during a ceremony at WNEU on May 14.
