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Grant spruces up BMS in time for the new year
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| By: Mark J. Crawford, Editor |
August 14, 2009 |
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Debbie Parmenter and Sal Cumello
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A $5,000 grant from Lowe's and the sweat of dozens of volunteers has transformed the Bradford Middle School campus just in time for the start of the new school year.
Shovels turned earth, backs young and old lugged stones and pulled mulch-filled carts, and hoses watered newly planted landscaping. Around 20 workers from the 13th Street Lowe's in Gainesville joined many students, parents, teachers and school administrators Saturday morning to perform the campus face-lift.
"Lowe's has been extremely gracious," said Debbie Parmenter, the middle school's assistant principal, discussing not only the Toolbox for Education Grant award, but the expertise and guidance provided that helped maximize the use of those funds. The home improvement store manager Charlie Raulerson even offered deep discounts on much of materials purchased by the school, she said.
Through its supplier contracts, Lowe's also managed to obtain donations of landscaping blocks and customized concrete stain used to create a tiled look on the pad in front of the gym.
Volunteers dug flower beds, planted trees, laid sod, spread mulch, installed seating, painted structures and prepared lunch for everyone involved.
Superintendent of Schools Beth Moore said the hard work of the volunteers who turned out made clear the pride they already have in their school. BMS Principal Earnest Williams thinks that pride will be spread as other student s and faculty show up for the new school year and see the improvements.
Building school pride is one point of the project. The project is also about getting back to nature. Even in this rural community, Parmenter said there are kids suffering from "nature deprivation." Computers, video games, television are too often keeping kids from recreation outdoors.
Parmenter wrote the grant, then working with Lowe's Sal Cumella, a landscaping improvement plan was developed that included new plants and trees, benches and picnic tables. This will provide for an outdoor eating area.
There will also be outdoor classroom space amid the colorful and lively new landscaping.
"It pains me to go to a profitable shopping center parking lot and see more beauty than our students experience 180 days," Parmenter said.
There are new plants all over, but the once empty area between the classroom building and the gymnasium has been particularly transformed to a path of palms and blooms.
There was also an opportunity to create an ongoing learning environment for students. A small greenhouse and additional raised plant beds were added to the campus with all tools included. In it ESE students will learn to cultivate and care for plants on a regular basis, providing a lesson as well as an employable skill, not to mention experience with a pleasurable hobby.
Items purchased with the grant proceeds included a rainwater retention barrel, a compost tumbler and other tools science students schoolwide can use in lessons about the environment and sustainability, not to mention the biological lessons that can be learned studying plant life.
The outdoor eating area will serve as a location for adult mentors to meet with their students, something that has been missing, Parmenter said. What has been installed is a start, and the school hopes to expand the area in the future.
The assistant principal was excited by Saturday's turnout.
"It is just phenomenal," Parmenter said. "It is so incredible seeing the community coming together."
She also noted the "snowball effect" the grant has had. When people learned of the grant award, they also wanted to give what they could.
Williams said he was almost speechless.
"We've seen this building the last few months. It's like it was a bus or a train going, and everybody was jumping on and knew that it was going somewhere good," Williams said.
The school's principal called it the most beautiful thing he's seen and said he was touched by the efforts of those involved. He said campus pride is just one of the character building themes that will be undertaken when kids return to school this year. They will be spending the first 15 minutes of each day in a homeroom setting aimed at raising standards.
Other contributing businesses included Valspar, Costa Nursery, Hood Landscape and Timber, Jungle Growth, Oldcastle, Hillbilly Rocks, Bonnie's Memorials, Clemons Field Services, Western Steer Steakhouse, Starke Landscape Supply, Wal-Mart, Cowboy Steakhouse, and Breezy Oaks Nursery.
Cumella said, locally, Lowe's give out two Toolbox for Education grants every year, and the company's charitable foundation selects the winners. Gardens and outdoor classrooms are popular uses for the funding, he said.
Nearly 4,000 schools across the country have benefited from the company's generosity. More information can be found at www.toolboxforeducation.com.
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©Bradford County Telegraph 2009
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