University of Puerto Rico at Ponce

English Department

DATE: December 7th, 2022.

TO: Professor Pier A. LeCompte Zambrana
FROM: María José López, Génesis Mercado, Alejandra Negrón and María Fernanda Pabón.
SUBJECT: Progress Report of “Huerto Atabey”

PURPOSE

Technical writing, also known as ENGL4021, is a course that instructs students how to
write technical documents with the proper format and structure. As a requirement of all the
biology programs, students have to take this course with the belief that it will propel their
professional and personal development. Professor Pier LeCompte Zambrana offers this
course, and she emphasizes the ability to write and communicate appropriately with clarity,
accuracy, consistency, and correctness. Throughout the semester, from August to December
2022, the students have learned different aspects of multiple technical documents such as
minutes, oral presentations, and others. For the last part of the course, all technical
characteristics must be applied to elaborate the final project: the Progress Report.

The purpose of this project is for students to develop a sense of responsibility, to

promote education and raise awareness about the importance of agriculture. Also, students
were able to enlarge a proper perspective on farmers and people who dedicate their lives to
taking care of Earth, and provide food through it. The association in charge of the “Huerto
Atabey” is called Coalición de Estudiantes Pro-Agricultura (CEPA), and they focus on the
orientation of how contamination affects our environment.

INTRODUCTORY SUMMARY

In this progress report, we are going to talk about the work done in the “Huerto
Atabey” and how we contribute to it. The garden of the University of Puerto Rico at Ponce is
administered by the CEPA Association. The CEPA association's vision and mission is to carry
out economic growth. They also raise awareness about the urgency of acting in the face of
local food production. During the first semester of 2022-2023, the objective was to improve
the quality and appearance of the orchard. CEPA was preparing the garden for the upcoming
Agriculture Fair. To improve it, a wide variety of medicinal greenery were planted, such as
mint, aloe vera and Jamaican flowers; pumpkins and passion fruit were also planted. In the
garden we worked from two to four hours a day, always learning something new. Although
we did our best, the orchard needs a lot of work, due to the lack of assistants.
 University of Puerto Rico at Ponce
English Department

UNIVERSITY ORGANIZATION

The CEPA-UPRP association was created on April 16, 2014 to demonstrate the
importance of agriculture in our country. The members of this board are:

● President: Miguel J. Costas Sabatier

● Vice-president: Priscilla Cintrón
● Secretary: Arelis Acevedo Santiago
● Treasurer: Francisco Castro Rivera
● Historian: Jadey Negrón
● Public relations officer: Alejandra Medina

COMMUNITY SERVICE HOURS

The group distributed the community service hours for our convenience, on different
days and times. When visiting “Huerto Atabey,” students sign in as evidence of the work
completed. The total of hours completed per student were 8.

WORK COMPLETED

As part of the work that was carried out during contact hours with the orchard, certain tasks
were divided. During the first visits to the garden, they focused more on basic skills and
garden maintenance. Throughout the semester we began to see more in depth what it was
to plant and how to keep our plants healthy. Some of the tasks performed were:

I. Watering and installing an irrigation system

A. To maintain the Orchard, it is important to have this system since it is more
efficient to water all the plants easily.
II. Create an area with tires
A. A perimeter was created using rubbers, applying what is upcycling. They
were modified and painted by all the students who collaborated with the
garden.
III. Remove the excess of grass
A. This task is one of the most difficult since you must apply a lot of force
because the ground is saturated by rain. The excess grass is removed using
shovels and hoeing, then it is placed on top so that the ground does not
become hard when sowing.
IV. Donations
A. Donations were accepted as part of community work. It was possible to
donate 4 bags of soil per person. Bottles and containers were also donated.
To finalize the donations, a collection of medicinal plants was carried out,
such as aloe vera, mint, Jamaican flowers, and others.
 University of Puerto Rico at Ponce
English Department

MATERIALS

The materials that were used during the community service in the “Huerto Atabey”
were:
● Rake
● Gloves
● Bag of dirt
● Watering can
● Water hose
● Land
● Hoe
● Shovel
● Wheelbarrow
● Cultivator
● Compost
● Seedbeds
● Seeds

LIMITATIONS

● Maintenance time was limited due to weather complications.

● Some plants could not grow because the insects or animals that are in the enclosure
ate them.
● The schedule offered was not accessible because they coincided with the academic
schedule.
● Lack of organization from CEPA.

CONCLUSION

We are surrounded by nature and sometimes we do not think about the different
roles plants perform in order to provide oxygen, food and maintain ecological balance.
Working at the Huerto Atabey was a new, learning and rewarding experience for us. We
gained knowledge about what plants need to grow and to stay healthy, as well as how to
prepare the soil before planting. The fact that this activity was part of the Technical Writing
course brought us, as Biology students, a new perspective on the importance of plants. They
play an important role and offer benefits to organisms. It is important to learn what we can
do to develop new ways to take care of them.
 University of Puerto Rico at Ponce
English Department

SERVICE LOG

Alejandra Negron Martinez - Service Log

Service Log - Génesis Mercado

 University of Puerto Rico at Ponce
English Department

Service Log - María José López

 University of Puerto Rico at Ponce
English Department

Service Log - María Fernanda Pabón

University of Puerto Rico at Ponce
English Department
 University of Puerto Rico at Ponce
English Department

EVIDENCE

Photo taken by A.Negron, November 2022.

Photo taken by P. Vélez, November 2022.

Photo taken by M. Pabón, October 2022.
 University of Puerto Rico at Ponce
English Department

Photo taken by M. Torres, October, 2022 Photo taken by M. López, November, 2022

Photo taken by V. Martínez, October 2022 Photo taken by G. Mercado, November 2022
 University of Puerto Rico at Ponce
English Department

Photo taken by V. Martínez, October 2022 Photo taken by V. Martínez, October 2022
 University of Puerto Rico at Ponce
English Department

SELF-REFLECTION PAPERS
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