Growing Skills, Roots, and Community
SPARK-Y FALL 2025 NEWSLETTER
Hello Spark-Y community,
It’s been a season of growth in our gardens, our programs, and our team! Here’s a look at what we’ve been cultivating together.
Summer Forestry Apprenticeship Success
This summer, eight incredible youth apprentices completed our Forestry Program in partnership with Hennepin County Forestry.
Through a mix of classroom learning, fieldwork, and mentorship over the course of three months, apprentices gained valuable skills in tree identification, pruning, and maintenance, learning directly from county arborists and environmental professionals. The program culminated with each apprentice earning an official Forestry Certification, opening doors to future green careers.
Beyond the technical training, participants built confidence, teamwork, and a lasting sense of environmental responsibility. Together, they helped care for hundreds of trees across Hennepin County, leaving a visible, living impact on our shared urban forest.
Prairie Seeds Academy Garden Renovation
At Prairie Seeds Academy in Brooklyn Park, we rolled up our sleeves and transformed their outdoor learning space by renovating the school’s outdoor garden space and constructing a brand-new greenhouse! Over the summer we built raised garden beds, restored the soil, and built a new greenhouse designed to support year-round learning and growing.
These improvements will expand opportunities for students to learn about sustainability, food systems, and the joy of growing their own produce in their schoolyard. We look forward to students using the space for gardening, and are excited to fill up the greenhouse with plants going into the spring of 2026!
Five Day Timber-Frame Pavilion Build
Watch Spark-Y staff construct a Timber-frame pavilion in five days in less than two minutes on our Instagram reel, here. And if you aren’t already, give us a follow!
This October a handful of our staff has the wonderful opportunity to join master timber-framers Clark Bremmer and Alo Osberg at Avon Hills Folk School to construct the mortise and tenon structure using vintage chisels and slicks, as well as modern power tools. Two thirds of the pavilion was lifted on-site, before it will be stored through the winter, and lifted in-full in the spring of 2026. The pavilion will be one of the first additions to Spark-Y’s new land acquisition and headquarters extension in Northeast Minneapolis. Stay tuned on our newsletters and socials as we share our progress on this exciting endeavor!
Welcome Back, Makenna Short!
We’re overjoyed to welcome Makenna Short back to the Spark-Y family as our new Director of Development!
Makenna’s journey with Spark-Y began in 2019 when she joined as a youth apprentice through her school, later growing into leadership roles supporting programming, community outreach, and grant development. Her return not only brings valuable expertise, but a deep personal connection to our mission.
In her new role, Makenna will be leading our fundraising, partnership, and growth efforts, helping to expand the impact of Spark-Y’s programs across Minnesota and beyond.
Her story is a reflection of Spark-Y’s vision: empowering young people to grow into the next generation of sustainability leaders. Welcome home, Makenna!
New Website Launch!
We’re thrilled to share that Spark-Y has launched a brand-new website!
Our redesigned online home highlights the stories, people, and projects that make Spark-Y’s work so impactful. You’ll find a totally refreshed look that aligns with who we are as an organization, as well as new pages showcasing our education programs, apprenticeships, and community partnerships.
We’ve also added an interface that makes it easier to get involved whether you’re looking to volunteer, donate, or collaborate.
Thank you for being part of our mission to empower youth through hands-on sustainability education. Whether you’re volunteering, donating, or simply cheering us on, your support makes all this growth possible.
Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to plant seeds of change across the Twin Cities.
With gratitude,
The Spark-Y Team