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LBC middle schoolers tend their own garden
4/28/2008 12:42 AM   0 comment(s) on this story E-mail this story to a friend

By ROB NOVIT

Senior writer

For several months, LBC Middle School eighth-grader Melissa Palmer and other art students have been working on a garden within the school courtyard.

The garden features a decorative fence, and the students have done a lot of weeding and trimming of shrubs and bushes.

Earlier this month, the students helped J.D. Norris and his construction company workers set mosaic stepping stones in concrete.

"We've cleaned the area up a bit and are making the school look better," said Melissa. "I think we've improved it a lot. Actually getting out there and doing something makes us feel good about ourselves."

Art teacher Harriett Nix has been working on the project for several years, establishing the Lions Garden Club named after the LBC mascot. The area chosen for the garden was unsightly, not appropriate for an area where students gather several times a day.

The mosaic stones actually were created two years ago by some of her advanced art students.

"This area ought to be beautiful and aesthetically pleasing," said Nix. "We've had many different groups of people working on the project."

Norris also installed the fence a few years ago and continues to support the effort as a way of giving back to the school. His son Michael, now at Midland Valley High School, attended LBC. Daughters Kelly, an eighth-grader, and Lucy, a sixth-grader, helped with the mosaic stone placement.

"Hopefully, the stones will last a long time," Norris said. "It's good to get the community together and help out and beautify the school. It's a win-win all the way around."

Nix received a grant from the S.C. Art Education Association that allowed her to continue the project. Additional support has come from Designer Tub and Tile, Cold Creek Nurseries, Horse Creek Masonic Lodge, Clarence Palmer, Jackie Nix, Ray McCormick and Tommy Sprouse.

As part of the garden project, Nix and her students have discussed character qualities and learning to apply them. The project has required responsibly and persistence and Nix appreciates her students' efforts. So does principal Russell Gunter.

"It's really a piece of art, and the kids will enjoy it in the days to come," he said. "A lot of parents have helped with the art program this year."

Contact Rob Novit at rnovit@aikenstandard.com.





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