At River Montessori High School, a micro-school that offers replicable, mixed-income, Montessori education, our downtown campus shares a large greenspace with First Presbyterian Church on Colfax Avenue—open patches of land are not so rare in the heart of downtown South Bend, where much of the grand architecture of our once-booming city center has been lost. Every day, this unassuming lot transforms into a hub of student life: a lunch spot, a volleyball court, a place for aikido practice and archery drills, a field for casual football, and an outdoor classroom where students breathe, move, and connect.

We see so much potential in this space. We envision a living hedge—a native plant border that transforms this open lawn into a defined and beautiful outdoor sanctuary. This hedge would serve multiple purposes: offering visual privacy, reducing street noise, supporting pollinators, and decreasing the weekly burden of mowing. It’s a small ecological shift with a big ripple effect.
Our students are eager to help design, plant, and tend the hedge as a project that blends science, sustainability, and stewardship. The church supports the idea, and the broader community would greatly benefit from the beautification of this space.

This project is also part of something bigger. South Bend is experiencing a meaningful resurgence—from its post-industrial slump to now, South Bend has become a city known for startups, the arts, and vibrant public spaces. With each passing year, the downtown corridor becomes more walkable, more inviting, more alive. As the lights come back on downtown, we want to add to the beauty. A thoughtfully planted native hedge along Colfax contributes to our city’s momentum—a living symbol of how beauty, ecology, and education can work together to transform a block, a community, and a city.

A native hedge isn’t flashy, but it IS awesome: it’s low-maintenance, high-impact, and entirely rooted in South Bend’s growth-centered spirit.