Teacher asks community to invest in Lakeside school courtyard

Another year has come and gone at Lakeside Elementary, and the sound of students busily attending the courtyard gardens has faded. However, one Lakeside teacher hopes the children's voices will soon be replaces with the voices of volunteers.

Third-grade teacher Bonita Preston envisions the sight of business people and volunteers who are willing to partner with the school in tending the garden through the summer. Although she put the word out earlier this spring, no one has agreed to help out yet. But Preston is confident that in a community with so strong a spirit of volunteerism, volunteers will come forward in the weeks to ahead.

The courtyard itself has taken shape under Preston's direction. In fact, she has been involved since came to the school in 2000, one year after the fifth grade students began raising funds for the courtyard. Since then, most of the teachers and students have been involved.

With help from a fellow teacher, Ansley Ford, Preston designed and built the new courtyard, once the concrete and sidewalk had been laid, five years ago. And, thanks to the hard work of Lakeside students, particularly the third-grade students, they were able to plant in the courtyard for their fourth season this spring.

"It's really great to see all the kids get out there and work," Preston said. "I think it's a really good place for them to interact with nature, and they enjoy doing it."

Earlier this spring, Preston acquired a $500 grant for the purchase of plants, trees, fertilizers and replacement parts for the watering system. She stated in the grant application that the third grade had shown interest in initiating a community service project that would utilize the courtyard to grow food for the community.

"Hopefully, there will be some vegetables to harvest and donate to local food banks," Preston said.

Already, a number of businesses and individuals have donated plants, ranging from snapdragons to irises, day lilies, daisies, columbines and annuals, as well as 60 tomato plants, which the students planted this spring. With so much support, Preston said there must be people in the community who would be willing to help with weeding and maintaining the flower and vegetable gardens.

"We would enlist the help of the community by having a business, organization or individual adopt one of the six planters in the courtyard," Preston stated in the grant.

The courtyard accommodates six planters, one for each grade level. Those who choose to adopt a planter may also work with students in that grade level next fall, harvesting vegetables and planning for the next planting.

The students have also taken on a composting project with two compost barrels that Preston helped the school acquire for the gardens. The barrels allow students to collect fruit and vegetable scraps at lunch time and add it to the compost to use as fertilizer.

"They love composting," Preston said. "They love that dirty stuff, and there's lots of bugs and worms back in the courtyard for them to play with."

Consequently, the courtyard promises a good growing season if volunteers can be found to tend it until school during the summer months. Considering the many ways in which the courtyard benefits the students and the community, Preston said she believes it will serve as a way for residents to invest in both and reap the rewards of far more than a single harvest.

Anyone interesting in volunteering to weed and maintain the courtyard planters should contact Preston at 261-8213.