Evelyn Clem had a cast on her arm and could not play during recess. So she sat on a bench and noticed a neglected garden at Vineyards Elementary School in Naples. Behind the chain-link fence was a former garden created by a fifth grade class in 2001. But after over a dozen years of neglect, it was simply an area filled with trash and weeds.
“I saw how much trash was in there,” Evelyn said.
So when her lunch aide asked her what she would do to change the school, Evelyn said she would fix the garden. She gathered four friends, and they wrote a petition asking the school principal for permission to restore the garden.
They got their answer on a yellow sticky note: “100% ok, wear gloves, adult supervision.”
They rallied other classmates and began a quest to clean the abandoned area.
“There were pencils, water bottles, food wrappers, stickers, plastic bags, even a golf ball,” said Joey Faccone. “We are still finding stuff today.”
Once the garden is clean, the group plans to create a butterfly garden and perhaps plant some vegetable seeds.
A BEAUTIFUL PLACE
On a recent morning, the children talked excitedly about their plans.
“I am thinking we can plant orchids in the trees and milkweed for the butterflies,” said Jack Reilly.
“Maybe we can put in a new table,” added Julianna Rock.
“We can grow our food,” Joey said.
The children hope everyone in the school will use the garden once it is restored.
“Maybe it can be used for science projects,” Jack suggested.
“Maybe when this place becomes beautiful, classes can come here and read,” Emir Bilen added.
“It would be a peaceful place to read,” Julianna said.
The students have been cleaning the garden once or twice a week for about 20 minutes each time and are starting to see some improvement.
“I want to make it a beautiful place so people can come in. We want to make this school a beautiful place,” said Emir.
Their teacher, Sara Sterling, said her students had taken responsibility for the project since the beginning.
“I can’t take any credit,” she said. “I give it all to them. I am very proud of their effort.”
The children point to an old sign in the garden that states how it was created by the fifth grade class in 2001, and they don’t want the garden to be neglected ever again.
Next year, the students hope to enlist the help of fourth graders to continue the project.
“We can get the next fourth grade class to take care of what we did, so it is like steps, like building a house. We are building the foundation,” Joey said.
The young gardeners say the project fits the school’s “Leader in Me” mission. That program inspires children to be leaders and be proactive.
“Find your voice and inspire others to find theirs,” Evelyn said. “We will do whatever it takes to make it a beautiful place.”
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