THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, April 26, 1996 TAG: 9604240174
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: B04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY GARY EDWARDS, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 64 lines
Ruth Salmon, Kelsey Taylor and plenty of others have grounds for being proud of their school, King's Grant Elementary. After nearly a year of dreaming, planning and planting, the newly landscaped grounds were dedicated in a recent ceremony.
Salmon, a reading resource teacher at King's Grant, spearheaded the drive to bring the landscaping to fruition. She insisted that the project was ``a cooperative effort.''
Some money was raised through grant writing, Salmon said. Other school groups such as the Ecology Club, the Planeteers, the SCA and the PTA contributed to the project. Shell Oil made a $500 donation and a local garden club helped with money and labor.
The Planeteers is the school's garden club, which Salmon sponsors. Shell, through its Protecting the Environment Through Action Learning and Services (PETALS) program, provides $130,000 nationally for these types of projects. King's Grant was one of several Virginia organizations to receive a PETALS grant, said Salmon.
The city's landscape services division provided the top soil and mulch. Other than that, the $8,500 project was funded without expense to taxpayers.
The new gardens feature two bermed areas to the left of the main entrance, an area in front of the media center and a courtyard area behind the glass-enclosed foyer.
``We planted 30 trees, 200 shrubs and more than 250 perennials,'' said Salmon, who did a lot of that planting herself. Winn Nursery also labored on the project.
Salmon acknowledged the help the school received from the May Farm Garden Club, that took an active role from the inception. She is a member of the club.
``Kathleen Zeren did the landscape design for us,'' said Salmon.
Among those present at the dedication was Duane Harding, ``Dr. Duane,'' a local meteorologist and an avid gardener. Harding is involved in a program called Ready, Set, Grow, which stresses organic gardening.
``There are good bugs and bad bugs,'' said Harding. ``Sometimes we kill the bad ones and forget we're killing the good ones, too.''
Harding emphasized that pleasant environments usually foster positive results.
``I have worked in clean places and I've worked in dirty places,'' he said.
``The clean, beautiful places brought out the best in those who worked there.''
Harding also lauded the King's Grant gardeners for implementing an environmentally friendly plan.
Principal Janet Duff and May Farm Garden Club president Glenda Knowles also spoke at the dedication. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by GARY EDWARDS
Participating in the dedication of the landscaped grounds at Kings
Grant Elementary School are, from left, Ruth Salmon, Julianne
Peperak and Kelsey Taylor. Money for the project was raised through
grants, while groups, such as the Ecology Club, the Planeteers, the
SCA and the PTA contributed to the project. Shell Oil made a $500
donation and a local garden club helped with money and labor.
by CNB