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A Blount County garden club has received state and national recognition in addition to local honors for its work in creating an outdoor learning experience for students at Fairview Elementary School and improving the school grounds.

Mountain Laurel Garden Club received first place in the state in the #7A Special Achievement category for 2008 and also first place in the National Garden Club Association competition.

“This is number one in the nation,” said past president Angie Caldwell. “We didn’t realize we had been entered. We were very surprised but it’s nice to be recognized.”
Mountain Laurel Garden Club has worked with Fairview since 2005. According to the report prepared by member Sandy Vandenberg and submitted for the competition, the club completed various projects in 2008 to improve the school grounds, educate and enhance experiences with nature for the students and teachers. The goal is to not only beautify the school grounds, but to instill a love of nature and gardening in the students so they will protect the environment for future generations. The club members made sure to include all students in at least one project with them.
Secret Garden

Caldwell said the president of the club proposes a project and the club sets aside money to fund it. This project, however, which includes a Secret Garden for a reading area in a secluded nook, required more money than the club could provide. The club applied for a grant from the Principal Financial Group/NGC project, “Let’s Go Native,” and was awarded $300 toward the $2,000 Secret Garden project. The area was cleared of weeds, soil was brought in to build a berm and native plants were planted and mulched with compost. A total of 26 species of native trees, shrubs and perennials were added to the area. The Secret Garden won first place in the Environmental Achievement Award Competition (Church/Nonprofit division) in the Bravo Awards sponsored by Keep Blount Beautiful and Little River Watershed Association.

Club members and volunteers continued to make additions and improvements in the pond area in 2008. The waterfall was redesigned and pea gravel was spread around the area by members and students to aid in weed control. Club members constructed a patio area, which now has outdoor furniture donated by a teacher. Seating around the pool and frog pond includes two stone-slab benches, and more plants were added. A handicap walkway was nearly finished.

“Five different Boy Scouts gave us the bones of the project,” Caldwell said. The young men, working toward Eagle Scout badges, helped in the Secret Garden and pond area. Most recently, they finished fencing the area and laying down rock.
Student involvement

Members dug holes on the front bank of the school grounds in January 2008 and provided enough daffodils for each of the approximately 430 students in kindergarten through fifth grade to plant. In the spring, the kindergarten classes planted seeds in raised vegetable and flower beds. Club members provided rain barrels for water conservation.

Caldwell said the fifth-graders, as a school project, held a farmers market and craft sale at the school to raise money for the garden projects. Club members donated plants to sell and gave planting advice to teachers and students. The students raised $608 and members raised an additional $150. A subsequent fundraiser rummage sale, with articles donated by club members, teachers and community members, raised $707 to pay for the club’s landscaping projects.

Caldwell said she hopes the recognition for Mountain Laurel’s efforts at the school will result in more volunteers and more funding for the continuing project.

“We’re hoping to get more parents and teachers involved in the upkeep,” she said. “We will always keep coming, but we hope to have more hands-on help and more educational tools for students.”