Garden at school

Just read about a garden at D. A. Morrison Middle School. Wonderful what a teacher decided to do. Apparently the front entrance of the school was not very attractive and a teacher decided to do something about it.
Four years ago, Rita Strautins decided that it was time to take back the space and along with students she planted a garden. She created a garden that eliminated the weeds that had taken over the space and grown to the height of two feet. Most unattractive in front of the school.
Initially, Strautins was told that there wasn't much point in starting the garden because students would trample it, but she hasn't had much trouble with that. In fact, she said, the students generally respect the garden.
Safereerah Zainab, 12 is a student in Strautins' French class. She thinks having the garden is a great way to start being part of the community and make the world a better place.
"It shows we actually care about the environment," she said. "It's really nice and it represents the school very well."
The kids are now starting a garden club and next spring they will be tackling a spot near the rear of the building under an old tree. When it's finished, it will make some of the students like Ricci Crowder, 13, happy because she'll be able to eat her lunch outside by the garden.
Strautins did most of the weeding and the students did most of the planting. She found it difficult to take almost 30 student out to build the garden so she began taking a few students at a time on the preparation period. The front garden has different flowers that bloom almost year-round.
The school board did not give D.A. Morrison any money for the project. Instead teachers, students and community members donated resources. But most of the plants come Strautins herself.
What a wonderful example of what can be done!