University of Puerto Rico in Ponce

English Department
ENGL-4021, Section M03

MEMORANDUM
Date: May 15th, 2023
To: Pier Angeli LeCompte Zambrana,Ph.D.
From: Kerianys N. Torres Torres (Leader)
Vianca A. Torres Santiago (Secretary)
Javier Díaz Laboy (Information Gatherer)
Jennifer M. Nazario Figueroa (Materials Manager)
Jelizalee Velázquez Vélez (Language Coach/ Timekeeper)
Subject: Progress Report on Atabey Garden

INTRODUCTORY SUMMARY
The purpose of this progress report is to document the work and achievements done in the Atabey
Garden, located at the University of Puerto Rico in Ponce (UPRP), by the students of the course
ENGL4021-M03 in collaboration with the Student Coalition Pro Agricultures (CEPA). This report
contains all the finished work done by our group from January 2023 through April 2023. The task
completed by our group included watering, weeding, creating seedlings, and painting. Each of our
members worked a total minimum of eight hours as part of the requirements established for the
course. The main goal of this project was to help CEPA with the work around the garden and help
motivate the students to participate in the 5th Atabey Agricultural Fair held at the University of
Puerto Rico in Ponce on May 12-13, 2023.

UNIVERSITY STUDENT ORGANIZATION

CEPA, or the "Coalición de Estudiantes Pro-Agricultura," is a student organization within the
Biology Department, which was established on April 16, 2014, at the University of Puerto Rico at
Ponce. It was formed by students’ initiative to increase awareness about the significance of
agriculture in the country. They currently have expanded the Atabey Garden since 2014 allowing
the cultivation of many crops. To achieve their main goal of participation in the Agricultural Fair,
the orchard was built with both fruit-bearing and flowering plants. Students enrolled in ENGL
4021 work in the garden under the guidance of the association's board members.
The board members for the academic year 2022-2023 were:
➢ President: Miguel J. Costas
➢ Vice-president: Priscilla Cintrón
➢ Secretary: Arelis Acevedo
➢ Sub-secretary: Yahaira Roda
➢ Treasurer: Francisco Castro
➢ Public relations officer: Alejandra Medina
➢ Historian: Jadey Negrón

AGRICULTURAL FAIR
The Agricultural Fair held at the University of Puerto Rico in Ponce aims to promote agriculture
in the country and demonstrate the work of the CEPA Student Organization with the Atabey
Garden created on campus. Furthermore, it presents crafts, live music, an animal exhibit,
educational conferences, seedling sales, and many other things for the enjoyment of the town,
university students, personnel, and their families. During this academic year 2022-2023, it was
held for a fifth occasion on May 12 and 13 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

FINISHED WORK
Each member of the group completed a different task, but they held the same goal: cleaning the
garden and initiating the planting process. The daily tasks assigned were each completed by the
end of the maintenance period. The responsibilities included hoeing the grass, weeding, and
planting.

I. Clearing the ground

Hoeing the ground was one of the first steps in the garden maintenance journey. We divided
ourselves into teams, one of which had hoes and the other handled the rakes. The hoes were
used to dig up the existing grass and the weeds in the ground. Their second function was
digging up dirt to create seed rows. The people who dealt with the rakes gathered up all the
grass and weeds to get them out of the way.
 II. Eliminating weeds
There were multiple spots that had weeds left, including the car wheels where seeds were
planted. We removed the weeds by ripping them from the roots or using the hoes when
they were too many and too difficult to remove. If there were earthworms, they were not
removed because they can be good for the soil. As with the clearing of the ground, we left
the weeds on the surface of the soil to keep it moist.

III. Planting seeds

The seeds were first planted in pots and once they germinate, they are considered seedlings.
After the seedling grew enough, they were transplanted into a designated area in the garden
with good soil and enough space to fully grow. The transplantation process consisted of:

1. Making a hole in the soil for the plant

2. Remove the plant from its original container.
3. Place the plant in the hole.
4. Fill the hole with dirt and flatten it.

MATERIALS
The materials used while working in the Atabey Garden were:
➢ Garden fork ➢ Shovel
➢ Watering can ➢ Seeds
➢ Gloves ➢ Hose
➢ Wood ➢ Organic fertilizers
➢ Paint ➢ Hoe
➢ Seedbeds ➢ Wheelbarrow
➢ Rakes ➢ Soil bags
FUTURE OBJECTIVES
In the future, we desire to continue participating in the Atabey Garden, either helping or bringing
donations, among others. Moreover, we are committed to collaborating at the Agricultural Fair
next year. Furthermore, as a suggestion, we thought that when the members of CEPA collect the
fruits and vegetables they later can be sold in a family market or any other market. Thus, they can
also promote the garden. To finish, we were able to see the Atabey Garden become better, a
remarkable difference from day one when the garden was full of weeds, thus we are excited to
continue to see the development of the garden and promote it to extend help through the students
and personnel of the UPRP.

CONCLUSION
This experience's objective was to raise awareness and encourage students to help our environment
through agriculture and promote the 5th Atabey Agricultural Fair. At the end of the semester, we
completed all the tasks established by CEPA. During this time, some of the work we did was
pulling out weeds, planting seeds, watering the plants, and decorating the garden. As a result of all
our hard work in the garden, we learned the importance of the Atabey Garden for our institution.
All the activities completed helped contribute to the maintenance of the garden for the Agricultural
Fair which was our main goal. Although this project was a requisite for a class, we got to bond
with our classmates and connect with nature. We are convinced that with this experience with
CEPA at the Atabey Garden we can share our knowledge to create a positive impact on our
environment and community.
Appendix A: Photos
Figure 1: Javier Díaz and Vianca Torres alongside other students removing weeds from the tires.
Photo taken by Jennifer Nazario

Figure 2: Javier Dَíaz removing the leaves from the area close to the garden.
Photo taken by Jennifer Nazario
Figure 3: Vianca Torres removing leaves from the garden area.
Photo taken by Jennifer Nazario

Figure 4: Jennifer Nazario cleaning the area for planting.

Photo taken by Jelizalee Velázquez
 Figure 5: Jelizalee Velázquez cleaning the trim area.
Photo taken by Jennifer Nazario

Figure 6: Kerianys Torres alongside another student planting.

Photo taken by Jelizalee Velázquez
 Figure 7: Jelizalee Velázquez watering the soil.
Photo was taken by Jennifer Nazario

Figure 8: Jennifer Nazario filling up the area with garden soil.

Photo taken by Jelizalee Velázquez
Figure 9: Jelizalee Velázquez, Jennifer Nazario, and Kerianys Torres with other classmates
planting seeds.
Photo taken by Jelizalee Velázquez

Figure 10: Vianca Torres alongside other students making a hole.

Photo taken by Jelizalee Velázquez
Figure 11: Vianca Torres removing weeds with the hoe.
Photo taken by Ramnel Hernández

Figure 12: Vianca Torres planting chives.

Photo taken by Javelyn Serrano
Figure 13: Javier Diaz and Kerianys Torres adding fertilizer.
Photo taken by Priscilla Cintrón

Figure 14: Javier Díaz planting seeds.

Photo taken by Priscilla Cintrón
 Figure 15: Jelizalee Velázquez with the flowers she planted.
Photo taken by Jelizalee Velázquez

Figure 16: Kerianys Torres and Javier Díaz with the wood signs they painted.
Photo taken by Javier Díaz
APPENDIX B: Progress Reports
Minutes
 University of Puerto Rico at Ponce
English Department
PROGRESS REPORT MINUTES
Meeting Date: April 11th, 2023

Call to Order:

A regular meeting of the Progress Report for the Course ENGL 4021 M03 of the University of
Puerto Rico at Ponce (UPRP) was held in room 143 of the Ruth Fortuño Academic Building on
April 11th, 2023. The meeting convened at 11:45 am, Kerianys Torres Torres presiding and
Vianca A. Torres Santiago, secretary. All members of the group attended.

Approval of Minutes:

No prior minutes were approved since this was the first meeting.

Matters Discussed:

1. The group members selected Kerianys Torres Torres as the group's leader.

2. The members selected each of their roles to collaborate in the Progress Report. The
distribution of roles was:
• Vianca Torres Santiago - Secretary
• Javier Díaz Laboy - Information Gatherer
• Jennifer M. Nazario Figueroa - Materials Manager
• Jelizalee Velázquez Vélez - Language Coach/ Timekeeper

3. The leader of the group gave a deadline to complete the Atabey Garden service hours.
Kerianys and the members agreed that the last day to complete the hours in the Atabey
Garden was April 28, 2023.

4. The members decided to arrange the second meeting on May 3, 2023, in room MCT-1 of
the Ruth Fortuño Academic Building at 10:30 am.

Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 12:32 pm.

Submitted by:

_______________________ _______May 3, 2023_________

Vianca A. Torres Santiago, Secretary Date of Approval
 University of Puerto Rico at Ponce
English Department
PROGRESS REPORT MINUTES
Meeting Date: May 3rd, 2023

Call to Order:

A regular meeting of the Progress Report for the Course ENGL 4021 M03 of the University of
Puerto Rico at Ponce (UPRP) was held in room MTC-1 of the Ruth Fortuño Academic Building
on May 3rd, 2023. The meeting convened at 10:30 am, Kerianys Torres Torres presiding and
Vianca A. Torres Santiago, secretary. All the members of the group attended.

Approval of Minutes:

Minutes of the April 11th, 2023, meeting was approved by the members of the group.

Matters Discussed:

1. The members of the group started to write the memorandum for the Progress Report.

2. Kerianys Torres Torres reminded the members of the group to send the photos taken in
Atabey Garden to use as evidence for the report.

3. The leader distributes some tasks to each member to complete the Progress Report.

4. The group members decided to have the third meeting on May 14, 2023, via google meet.

Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 11:30 am.

Submitted by:

_______________________ ____ May 14, 2023________

Vianca A. Torres Santiago, Secretary Date of Approval
 University of Puerto Rico at Ponce
English Department
ENGL 4021 M03 MINUTES
Meeting Date: May 14th, 2023

Call to Order:

A regular meeting of the Progress Report for the Course ENGL 4021 M03 of the University of
Puerto Rico at Ponce (UPRP) was held via the Google Meets platform on May 14th, 2023. The
meeting convened at 9:00 pm, Kerianys Torres Torres presiding and Vianca A. Torres Santiago,
secretary.

Approval of Minutes:

Minutes from May 3rd, 2023, and May 14, 2023, meetings were approved by the group
members.

Matters Discussed:

1. Each member of the group sent their last pictures at the Atabey Garden to Javier thus he
could put them in the progress report.

2. The members of the group distributed the missing parts to each one to finish the report.

3. Jelizalee, the timekeeper, agreed on a deadline to finish the report for May 14, 2023,
before 12:00 am.

4. All members verified and made corrections to the report before submitting the work in
the portfolio.

Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 11:00 pm.

Submitted by:

_______________________ ____ May 14, 2023________

Vianca A. Torres Santiago, Secretary Date of Approval
APPENDIX C: Service Log Hours of
Members
Hours and evidence: (Service Log)
Vianca A. Torres Santiago
Hours and evidence: (Service Log)
Kerianys Torres Torres
Hours and evidence: (Service Log)
Javier J. Díaz Laboy
Hours and evidence: (Service Log)
Jelizalee Velázquez Vélez
 Hours and evidence: (Service Log)
Jennifer M. Nazario Figueroa

The signature of the president of CEPA certifying the hours performed is on the next page because there
were two papers with the hours performed.
APPENDIX D: Self-Reflection
 S E L F- R E F L E C T I O N O N P R O J E C T W O R K
Think about what you did in this project, and how well the project went.
Write your comments in the right column.

Student Name: Jennifer M. Nazario Figueroa

Project Name: Progress Report
Driving Question: Who are the managers of the Atabey orchard at the
University of Puerto Rico in Ponce? What are the tasks to
be carried out? How was the progress report of the Atabey
garden for the second academic semester 2022-2023?
List the major steps of the project: 1. Search for information regarding crop care.
2. Execution of agricultural work in the Atabey
garden.
3. Help maintain the Atabey garden.
About Yourself:
What is the most important thing you learned in this When carrying out this project, the most important thing I
project: learned is that we must take care of our environment and
that there are still young people who are passionate about
agriculture. Help promote this practice to give the planet a
better quality of life and animals, above all, motivate others
to be part of this great project.
What do you wish you had spent more time on or What I would have liked to have done differently is the
done differently: collection of information. When carrying out the assigned
tasks in the garden, I did not know the techniques and the
plants that were present. Therefore, I would have loved to
have had an informative conference about the plants found
in the garden, their benefits, their care, among other things.
What part of the project did you do your best work The part of the project where I did my best work was
on: doing my chores in the Atabey garden. This is because for
me the most important thing was to be able to perform
these tasks in the best way so as not to damage the hard
work of the students in charge.

About the Project:

What was the most enjoyable part of this project:
The most enjoyable part of this project was being able to
collaborate with the Student Coalition Pro-Agriculture
(CEPA) during the preparation of the Atabey garden and
carrying out the tasks with colleagues for better
integration.

What was the least enjoyable part of this project:
How could your teacher(s) change this project to
make it better next time.
The least enjoyable part of the project was the writing of
the document since it was the part where all the details that
were carried out had to be considered and an arduous
investigation of the place where the project was going to
be carried out. In addition, integrating the ideas of the
colleagues took a bit of work, but with communication the
project was completed.
I consider that the project has been worked on in a great
way. However, I think that integrating some informative
conferences about the plants a little would help a better
development of the project and understanding in the
future.