Celebrating Oakland’s 2025 Youth Landscape & Hardscape Team (YLHT)
July may not be graduation season for most schools, but here at Oakland, we’re celebrating our own class of 2025! That is, the 2025 Youth Landscape & Hardscape Team, who have just successfully completed their paid, eight-week program focused on horticulture, preservation, and career development through hands-on experience across Oakland’s grounds.
These thirteen students were selected from a competitive pool of nearly 300 applicants from Atlanta high schools. Led by Oakland’s Director of Education and Youth Programs Ted Ward, they joined us on-site several days a week to learn from and work alongside Oakland’s professional horticulturists and preservationists, venture into Atlanta for various professional development activities, and complete a capstone project showcasing their skills.
The team split up into two groups: Landscape and Hardscape. The Hardscape Team worked alongside Director of Preservation Ashley Shares and Operations Manager Sean Diaz on a number of projects, primarily in the Original Six Acres (Oakland’s oldest section). Their work complexity progressed throughout the summer, beginning with introductory tasks such as grave marker cleaning, and eventually progressing to rebuilding multi-piece grave markers by hand and with hoisting equipment. The students learned to utilize many construction and preservation techniques, including mixing mortars, lifting stones with a tripod and chain hoist, using string line and stakes to create straight rows of monuments, hammer and chisel techniques, and rebuilding simple walls.
Meanwhile, the Landscape Team was mentored by Director of Horticulture Abra Lee and gardens team members Janna Rhoden and Erica Glasener, who led them through several landscaping projects, including garden design in the Historic African American Burial Grounds, removing invasive bushes outside the Hirsch Mausoleum, maintenance in the Original Six Acres and East Hill, and beautifying the courtyard outside of Oakland’s Visitor Center for guests to enjoy. At the end of the program, they completed their capstone project: the thoughtful design and installation of a garden at Bishop Wesley Gaines’ lot in the Historic African American Burial Grounds.
The students pushed through the heat, bugs, and the challenge of learning new skills to transform areas of the Cemetery into greener, more vibrant spaces for all who visit the Cemetery to appreciate.
Beyond their hands-on work on the grounds, the cohort also ventured into the city for enrichment opportunities. Excursions included visits to The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation and Atlanta City Council, where they met with Councilman Matt Westmoreland. The also visited local nonprofits & community greenspaces including Park Pride, Trees Atlanta, and Piedmont Park, where they met with leaders and learned more about civic engagement, nonprofit operations, and the importance of public greenspaces. These experiences offered firsthand insight into careers in historic preservation and greenspace development, further deepening their understanding of the impact of their work. The students were encouraged to reflect and journal about their experiences, as well as work on incorporating them into their resumes, gaining training in communications, leadership, and teamwork. Second-year YLHT student Melvin Bray served in a leadership role as Landscape Lead; he reflected on the value of his experience, stating, “It was a little bit scary at first. But we had a great group of people this year, and they made it easy for me to take on that leadership role. It was a great experience to be able to test my skills and push myself to take the extra step to learn more about the work we’re doing.”
We hope to welcome members of our 2025 Youth Landscape and Hardscape Team back next year to apply to our leadership track, giving them the chance to serve as mentors to a new group of incoming students.
Hear directly from the YLHT students about their experiences:
“My favorite part of the experience was finishing our capstone project. We started a lot of projects throughout the cemetery, but it was nice to start and finish one ourselves.” - Soledad Frady
“One thing I learned was the history of our city, and how cool it is. I didn’t know how rich in history it was, and how things get done behind the scenes - parks, preservation, and public spaces.” - Bryson Davis
“I learned a lot of different work skills. I learned how to communicate with others - my coworkers and instructors. I learned how to be prompt and take accountability.” - Amelia Williams
“Something I learned was resilience. Working in the cemetery, there can be a lot of bugs, a lot of mosquitoes, and it’s hot, so you just want to quit. But I’ve learned to push through that.” - Addison Sutton
“My favorite thing at Oakland was getting to know my team. My team lead, Director of Preservation Ashley Shares, was really patient with me. She walked me step-by-step through how to level tombstones and how to take cradlings out of the ground without breaking them.” - Darrett Philpot
Congratulations, 2025 Youth Landscape & Hardscape Team!
Check out our gallery below for more snapshots of their time at Oakland.
Applications for the 2026 team will open Winter 2026. Interested in supporting the Youth Landscape & Hardscape Program? Learn more and donate here.





