Wheeler Students Enhance Park's Image(posted May 15) Wheeler Elementary students were excited to help their community by spreading mulch around Meadowood Park as an after school project on May 14 and May 15. It was a community project that started with applying for a United Way Grant last fall. Eleven-year old Mollie Doehrmann wanted all of the project's credit to go to teachers Ellen Barnes and Melissa Reeves. "The purpose of the grant is to hook kids to become involved in community service," she said. Studies show the earlier kids become involved with community the more likely they will stay dedicated to helping as they enter into adult life. According to Barnes, one of the biggest benefits from obtaining the grant was that it enabled the students to experience taking ownership in the community. An active student involvement was part of the grant application. The students were the driving force behind filling out the application. It required their ideas from the onset as to how they were going to help the community. The students' compassion for the community was evident in their brainstorming time. "Not all of the students grasped the concept of a grant. They didn't understand that money would be given to them to buy the mulch. Some of the students thought of fundraising activities. They were willing to raise money to do the work," she said. The ideas ranged from shoveling snow to even helping Eagledale Little League located at Shambaugh Park. Barnes said some of the students play baseball there. Because the project involved the school, the project needed to focus on a town asset. She said eventually students thought of Meadowood Park and became concerned with the graffiti. "The bad words bothered them," she said. The $800 grant also includes paint to erase the graffiti markings from the play area. The student involvement did not end after submitting the grant application. Barnes explained the students had to go downtown to appear in front of a 12 member United Way Board of Directors' panel to a make a presentation. The presentation was more than a narrative from the students. "The board asked the students impromptu questions that required them to answer on the spot. The impromptu questioning was to make sure the idea was student driven," she said. Eleven-year-old Vincent Sarkine described his experience of giving the presentation to the board. "It was kind of freaky. I was nervous," he said. The students had to brainstorm the idea and help write the grant. As for the Town of Speedway, Park Superintendent Mike Smith said the park department is getting a jump on spreading the mulch. This is usually a project that requires summer employees to do. Smith also noted that the seven new storm water drainage inlets and the additional inlet repair should help keep the water north of the playground area to prevent ponding. The previous intense rains have been so great that the mulch has been pushed into the storm drains and neighbor's yards on the southside of Meadowood Drive. ADA mulch is required to use around playground equipment due to its ability to reduce injuries from falls. It is finer than the regular wood mulch, so it is a little more expensive. The students' effort to help the community grew beyond the immediate students of Barnes and Reeves. Jennifer Warren recruited her some her Brownie troop members, Jenna Childress and Lauren Speer, to help. Speer noticed that moving the mulch around was not as difficult as she thought it would be. "We are helping the community and Meadowood Park," said Emma Sarkine. Eight-year-old Emma stayed after school to help because her brother was involved in the project. Emma demonstrated some leadership skills as she was telling another student where to dump the wheelbarrel full of mulch. The project even lured parents to come help. Sharon Tingle volunteered to help with her daughter Mary. The students received their fair share of exercise when the park department's tractor stopped running after dumping just a few loads of mulch at the various sites. The students quickly took over the operation by using two wheelbarrels to move the 30 cubic yards of mulch. "The students really feel good about doing something," Reeves said. She explained that one of her student's commented that helping the community was better than watching TV after school. |
 Park Superintendant Mike Smith
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