Martinsville Bulletin, Inc.
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Martinsville, Virginia 24115
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| With tree planting at sports complex |
Martinsville High School teacher Michelle Wirt Eaton (center, in white sweater) and students in her Independent Living Skills Class pull a 21-foot-tall oak tree from a small bulldozer before it was planted in the traffic circle at the Smith River Sports Complex on Thursday morning. (Photo by Steve Sheppard) |
Friday, October 16, 2009
By STEVE SHEPPARD - Special to the Bulletin
Members of Martinsville High School’s Independent Living Skills Class planted a 21-foot-tall oak tree at the Smith River Sports Complex on Thursday morning.
The tree planting was a collaboration between the class and the Southern Virginia Recreation Facilities Authority. The tree was planted in the center of the traffic circle at the entrance to the parking lot.
Michelle Wirt Eaton, who teaches the class, said the planting was part of an effort to get more involved in the community.
“We are trying to give back to the community,” she said. “We plan to do something every month, and we just had the idea of planting a tree for the Smith River Sports Complex.”
Planting is not new for the class. Every Thursday, the students work on the landscaping at Martinsville High School.
“We do all the flowers around the school. We are just trying to expand into the community so they can gain community awareness,” Eaton said.
Carrie Zimmer works with the class’ landscaping on Thursdays and helped pull together the sports complex planting. She coordinated efforts with Southern Virginia Recreation Facilities Authority Chairman Bob Davis, got a water tank donated from Chatmoss Country Club and had the tree donated by New Garden Nursery in Greensboro, N.C.
Zimmer said the class also is working on growing vegetables.
“We are growing vegetables this fall. We are growing lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. They will pick the vegetables and cook and eat them in class. They learn were food comes from and learn to cook it,” she said.
Paulette Simington, director of special education and assessment for the Martinsville Schools, attended Thursday’s planting and said it was an opportunity to expand the students’ efforts outside the school.
“This is a great opportunity to do work with the community as a whole,” she said.
Allyson Rothrock, executive director of the Harvest Foundation, also attended the planting and said she was excited about organizations, businesses and individuals working together for a common cause.
“It’s really a community effort,” she said. “Today is the culmination of efforts from various groups and another example of the great community collaboration that is going on with a lot of projects in the area. It reminds me of our grand opening here and all the people who volunteered to help make that happen. It’s an exciting day for us.”
Eight students participated in the planting, including Kerry Pacifico.
“It is very exciting because I got to see my class excited and see them do stuff. We have a loving and caring teacher that loves helping out others,” he said.
Everyone dug in the mud with temperatures in the upper 40s and a light drizzle.
Student Jatha Lawson said she enjoys landscaping but prefers doing it “on warmer days.”
Student Ricardo Zavala spent his morning making sure everything was done properly.
Tyler Middleteadt, facilities manager, and Billy Russo, director of operations at the sports complex, also helped with the planting.
In November, the class plans to collect drink tops to be donated to help the Ronald McDonald House. |
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