MAYFLOWER — Fourth-grade gifted-and-talented students at Mayflower Elementary School gathered around teacher Sally Stuart as she doled out sunscreen before they started digging in the dirt.
The fourth-graders in Stuart’s GT class came up with the idea of the No Mean But Green Club to create a flower and vegetable garden in front of the school on Arkansas 365.
The name was the idea of fourth grader Sam Deierlein, 10.
“I just thought of it,” he said of the name. “We’re not going to be mean to the Earth; we’re going to be green.”
Stuart said her third- and fourth graders did a unit on leadership, and they had to research leaders and the characteristics of leaders.
She asked them to come up with ideas, and the fourth-graders talked about recycling and beautifying the campus, which evolved into the garden project.
The district’s grant writer, Cindy Booker, wrote and received an $1,800 Project Wild grant from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission to help fund the garden. The Master Gardeners contributed, and Flower Depot in Mayflower “is giving us a good deal,” Stuart said.
“We tried to get as many flowers as we could that attract butterflies and insects,” Stuart said. “They’re supposed to be Arkansas native plants, but we did get some Japanese maple trees because they grow so well in full sun.”
She said Mindy Beard, an employee of Flower Depot, “has been amazing.” Beard helped pick out appropriate plants and bulbs and was on her way to work with them, Stuart said Wednesday.
“Our plan is to eventually do a vegetable garden, and we’re wanting to get some little benches out here and make it an outdoor classroom,” Stuart said. “We’re hoping his will be a place kids can come and observe.”
Nathan Emmer said the project is right down his alley.
“I’m really happy about this because for a long time, I’ve been wanting to help the Earth, and this is our chance to do it,” he said.
“I’m happy that our school will have a garden right out here in front of the school, where everybody can see it and be more interested in our school. We’re going to plant flowers around the bell and make it more interesting.”
“[The bell is] the original school bell they used to ring to bring kids into school before we had the wonderful technology that we have today,” Superintendent John Gray said.
He said the garden will be used “as a research area” for students, “and it beautifies that corner of the school district, which is on the main road, and makes Mayflower look a little prettier.”
Shamika Dority, 10, commented on creating the garden: “I really like it because you have lots of nature around, and you just get to enjoy the fresh outdoors and feel the breeze. I love outdoors; I live near the woods.”
Jazmene McMillan, 10, a streak of white sunscreen on her nose, waited to get started. Jazmene said she’s excited about the project, even though she and the other fourth-graders will be moving to the middle school in the fall.
“Once a week we’ll be here for GT,” she said.
“We’re trying to make it pretty so we can come outside and learn sometimes. We’re going to have trees and flowers, so if they’re learning about how to plant, they can come out here.”
One girl asked Stuart, “Can we work on it at recess?”
Khaya McCray, 9, laughed as she put on her winter gloves to work.
“I think it’s going to help the environment, and it’s good. It’s going to make our school more beautiful,” she said. “And we’ll get fresh vegetables and fruit so the school won’t have to spend their money.”
Senior writer Tammy Keith can be reached at (501) 327-0370 or tkeith@arkansasonline.com.
River Valley Ozark, Pages 139 on 05/20/2012