Planting Two Sets Of Seeds
‘Growing Green With Pride’ Gives Parents, Teachers, Mentors Two Opportunities To Enrich The Future
By Raoul Dennis // Photography By Frank Solomon with Additional Photos By Dedria Lamonthe
Last Updated: May 15, 2019 :: 7:00 p.m.
“Option 2. We Like option 2 better,” replied three Seabrook Elementary School students to the question whether they preferred learning in the classroom or working on the grounds outside the school. The response was unanimous.
And judging by the numbers of kids with dirty hands, rumpled clothes and big smiles running around their school on May 4, Growing Green with Pride Day, there was no contest on the question: being outside, cleaning and beautifying the school and neighborhood was much more fun than being inside.
Parents, teachers, mentors and advisors at Seabrook and Judge Sylvania Woods Elementary Schools were able to plant two kinds of seeds on the day: one in the rich, moist soil and another in the hearts and minds of students who will appreciate the value of family work, community giving, being green friendly and outdoor learning.
Both schools hosted over 100 participants in the county-wide Growing Green with Pride effort led by the Angela Alsobrooks Administration. Over 21 county towns, cities and municipalities participated in the campaign aimed at cleaning neighborhoods and beautifying communities. School leaders at Seabrook and Woods declared that they had both achieved in one day what their respective visions for the schools called for years to accomplish.
Judge Sylvania Woods Elementary School Principal Stephanie Barbara Wareman says she planned to make the school feel more like a warm home than an institution but that her plans would have taken years to materialize.
“We have been planning projects since I started [three years ago]. Someone from the county was trying to get us set up as a green school. The plan was to brighten up the space with plants and to add gardening so that our students can learn to grow their own food,” Wareman says. “We thought it would be a multiyear project – setting goals for each year along the way. But this is amazing. We are tackling over seven different projects today.”
The school had already been an architectural and design wonder that incorporated several open outdoor spaces. But on Green with Pride, students, parents, teachers and community members along with help from First Baptist Church of Glenarden were able to fast-track many of Wareman’s ideas and complete them in a single day..
The work included outdoor gardening, cleaning, decorating as well as indoor teacher workroom clean up, painting and decorating.
Rev. Belinda Gentry, the director of the Missions Ministry for First Baptist Church of Glenarden, led volunteers from the church to help FBCG’s longtime partner, Woods Elementary School.
“We celebrated what God had done for us over the past year yesterday and this morning we are doing outreach and came to help with the beautification project,” Gentry says. She and her team of 75 volunteers started at 8 a.m. “We have people out in the garden planting, we have garbage pick-up , arts and crafts, working on the Teachers’ Lounge – it has been a tremendous day.”
The Lanham resident has lived in Prince George’s for 34 years.
“More people are engaged in what’s happening in the community today, Gentry says. “They are active - as opposed to just going to and from work and closing the door and not getting involved in what’s going on. This is good because the community connects with the church and people get to know each other and work in harmony together.”
In the future, the school will continue developing a Life and Light Fruit and Vegetable Garden. The school’s Garden Club will pick up the ongoing maintenance of the garden along with its student scholars. Wareman says that each grade level of the school will be involved in taking care of the courtyard and surrounding areas of the building once they are taught how to do the work. She also says that she looks forward to a continued partnership with First Baptist Church of Glenarden.
“We had no clue we would be able to do all this today,” Wareman says happily.
The feeling of accomplishment was the same at Seabrook Elementary School where Principal Clareta Spinks was leading in everything from painting the basketball courts and gardening to clean up and occasionally helping to pay for additional supplies. Like many teachers and principals, Spinks views the school and its students as her family and responsibility inside and outside the classroom.
“This is my tenth year as principal at Seabrook and we had so many community leaders and partners and parents here as well as nearby church members here for one purpose: to help beautify the school.”
Spinks said they painted the basketball court, put up new nets for the rims (donated by Modells), NBC 4 made donations – and volunteered labor -- at the school, Comcast volunteers helped with landscaping, developing an outdoor classroom, painting picnic tables and more since all the volunteers arrived at 6 a.m. with some 200 volunteers.
“We got years of work done in one day,” she says.
For Spinks, one of the most remarkable achievements of the day was in moving the outdoor classroom forward and in having children and their parents working so closely together (see videos above).
Watch this space for additional reporting and next update May 15 :: 7:00 p.m.
