Volunteer Ruth Peritz honored for working with special ed students in Kennedy High gardens

On a weekly basis, retired educator Ruth Peritz heads as much as Kennedy High to are likely to the university garden, but she’s not simply making sure the vegetable plants grow.

School officials are lauding Peritz for bringing an outdoors education chance to severely disabled kids in Kennedy’s special education program. Recently, she received the “You create a Difference” award from your West Contra Costa Unified School District on her garden work with special needs students.

While the kids will almost always be excited to the office during the garden, both have varying numbers of understanding as well as and may are not ready to follow many of the directions. But Peritz says their passion for being outside also in the garden can be seen.

“It may take a little time to obtain them learn what is going on, however know they are really enjoying it,” Peritz said.

She and her husband Michael Peritz, who retired from Kennedy High after 35 years as a teacher, are known on campus as Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy High. The bride and groom as well as their daughters, both Kennedy graduates, founded the Eagle Foundation, which gives annual scholarships for Kennedy students and grants for that school’s teachers.

As chair in the foundation’s beautification committee, Ruth Peritz worked so you can get outdoor tables and benches along at the school painted, murals erected, and was instrumental in reviving abandoned gardens at the front end of college on Cutting Boulevard and by the football field.

To create the gardens possible, the well-connected Peritz family worked to procure tools, supplies, seeds and trees with assist of teachers, students and organizations just like Urban Tilth, West County DIGS additionally, the Contra Costa County Office of Education’s Regional Occupational Program, as well as others.

Rangers from Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historic Park donated the 25 fruit trees now located by way of the football field, while Richmond restaurant Assemble donates the usage of its hot house and seeds for planting inside Cutting Boulevard garden.

Special ed teacher Sal Morabito said he jumped with the an opportunity to get his students associated with the garden project, and says they are utterly grateful that Ruth Peritz decided bring them on.

“This is certainly currently the fourth year in a row that Ruth has continued not just in donate her time 1-2 days weekly but additionally to coach my students and staff the skill and science of organic farming,” Morabito said. “She teaches our students with severe disabilities how you can grow food with the table by planting, watering, feeding, pruning, and harvesting fruits and veggies applied to their classroom cooking curriculum.”

Morabito also credited Peritz with spending time inside garden over the summer to help keep it thriving, and frequently dipping into her own pockets choosing garden seedlings.

It’s much less in the event the Pertiz family’s contributions go unnoticed. As students, teachers, the district and organizations and agencies teamed to beautify the Kennedy campus, an art form student produced a mural of Ruth and Mike Peritz which is visible from Cutting Boulevard.

Ruth Peritz has degrees in social work, psychology, early childhood and education and features worked in public places and personal schools, lectured at UC Berkeley, and maintained a learning center for Many years. During her career, she spent about four years at Kennedy to be a graduate tutor.