Fifth graders from Ptarmigan Ridge Elementary and high schoolers from Massachusetts worked together to plant nearly 250 shrubs in Orting. The high school group connected with the District for their spring break service project and the elementary students learned about the benefits of plants and ecosystems as part of their participation.
Imagine getting a phone call from
across the country with an offer to
help. Now imagine that phone call turning
into a group of 60 high school students
and their chaperones from
Wellesley Village Church near Boston, Massachusetts
getting a few weeks’ worth
of projects done in just four days. Just
such a thing happened this past spring,
and in between rain showers, beautiful
Mt. Rainier helped inspire them on.
During their week here in April the
group made a huge impact, and a huge
impression. They helped 5th graders
in Orting plant a parking strip near
the downtown park; they prepared and
planted bulrush rhizomes in the recently
restored Meeker Creek in Puyallup; they removed weeds and trash from
wetland restoration areas in the Port of
Tacoma with Citizens for a Healthy Bay
and the Puyallup Tribe; they tackled a
hillside of blackberry at the District’s
former dairy property in South Prairie
to prepare it for planting; and they
installed a bog garden from start to finish
at the Puyallup Historical Hatchery
Fou
ndation’s educational center.
The kids seemed to truly enjoy the
work they were doing. We can’t
thank them enough for their efforts,
and for choosing to make an impact
here in the Puget Sound region.
?High schoolers from Wellesley Village Church near Boston, Massachusetts
helped mentor 5th graders at a planting project in Orting.