Contributed
Last fall, an opportunity at Robbins Elementary School was brought to the attention of the Kiwanis Club of Seven Lakes. The mission of Kiwanis is to serve children and put smiles on their faces.
The courtyard area at the school was a combination of garden and outdoor classroom. Time had not been kind to the area. The wooden arbor and walk bridge were rotted, the plantings overgrown, and the paver pathway sunken and worn.
Kiwanis partnered with the school’s Beautification Committee and Jacob Lewis of Lewis Landscaping to refurbish the area.
The area was cleared of weeds and planting areas cleaned up. The rotted wooden structures were removed, and new pavers installed in the garden area. The tires that were scattered throughout the area as planters were consolidated into a central area and the number reduced from over 20 to 15.
After the tires were filled with new soil. Members of the Seven Lakes Garden Club conducted a bulb planting event with a group of third graders.
Divided into four teams, the students and their leaders planted several hundred daffodils, crocus, and iris bulbs in the tires.
When the planting was complete, the students eagerly stapled down garden fabric around the tire area and filled the area in with mulch to deter weeds and make the area more attractive. Two new Shi-Shi Gashira Camellias were installed to add fall color to the area.
As a final element for the area, the aged and uneven paver pathway was removed and reset with new pavers. It is now a safe and attractive transition path for the students between classroom areas.
The Kiwanis Club of Seven Lakes thanks Lyubov Shearin, RES Beautification Chair and all her committee members for working with us to make this project happen. And they give a special thanks to Jacob Lewis and his crew for their good work and the members of the Garden Club for assisting in the bulb planting.
The transformation of this area from a sad and weedy area into a safe, well organized and soon to be colorful area for the children to work and play.
