School officials, parents work to beautify local school

TREE OF HONOR— Joshua Sturman, left, and Marissa Meyer throw in the first shovels of dirt to nourish a newly planted peppermint willow tree dedicated to the grandparents of Lindero Canyon Middle School students. The tree is one of the many beautification projects recently completed on campus. SYLVIE BELMOND Acorn Newspapers Students at Lindero Canyon Middle School will soon have access to the newly remodeled central courtyard which now features stone seating, concrete walkways, grass and a tree planted to honor the grandparents of all the students.

The tree serves as recognition of the importance of family, said Assistant Principal Wolf Thom-sen. As the tree grows, the peppermint willow will also provide shade and comfort to students who visit with friends or sit to read in between classes, he said.

School officials couldn’t have completed the improvement without the help of dedicated parents, who donated both time and money toward the campus improvements.

“You would think planting a tree is easy, but this project has taken seven months,” said Elliot Sturman, who donated the tree. Sturman, consulted a horticulturist to ensure the tree can survive in the water-saturated planter.

Aside from the central lawn area, the committee provided a new garden area, a new mural in the front of the school, and trees to shade buildings.

Jill Marder-Meyer, Sturman, Fran Fox, Sandra Byrd-Dolpin, as well as Thomsen and former assistant principal Abbe Irshay, formed a committee which creatively found resources to compete the projects.

“It’s important that kids feel good about the school,” said Marder-Meyer, head of the beautification committee. When the school looks good, students respect it, she said. – Sylvie Belmond