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| Sept. 24 will be a day to make a difference By Diana Inglis and Sonja Myre--Matter of Opinion Published/Last Modified on Wednesday, August 31, 2005 3:59 PM PDT Every blue moon, an opportunity comes along that is so inspiring, so compelling and so potentially transformative that it demands our attention, stirs our imagination and requires our wholehearted effort. A Hatch Elementary School parent, Ralph Laughlin, has presented the school community with such an opportunity. Ralph, a local landscaper and owner of CNH Landscape and Design, Inc., has generously volunteered to design and direct a pro bono remodel of the Hatch school grounds. This event is huge in its scope and vast in its vision. Ralph's plan includes native California grasses and plants flanking the entryway of the school; new planters, expanded pathways and renovated benches in the central courtyard; a sidewalk corridor of wildflowers and perennials; and, 30 new raised vegetable and cutting beds for each classroom. All of it is supported by a newly installed irrigation system. To accomplish this enormous undertaking, Ralph's crew needs at least 150 volunteers to help on Saturday, Sept. 24 - an event we are calling, "A Day to Make a Difference." Skilled tradespeople, including carpenters, plumbers, masons, arborists, electricians and tractor drivers are needed as well as a whole host of landscaping materials, equipment and supplies. "A Day to Make a Difference" is a unique opportunity for the entire Half Moon Bay community to unite and work together to create a beautiful and safe place for our children to learn, study and play. Given Half Moon Bay's longstanding roots in floriculture and farming, it seems only fitting that our city's elementary school reflect this rich, rural heritage. There has been a recent national resurgence of support for school gardens and recognition of the tremendous potential of school landscapes to enrich childhood experience and foster community interaction. Delaine Eastin, former superintendent of the California Department of Education and sponsor of the "A Garden in Every School," asserts that outdoor education promotes student achievement. School gardens are living, educational laboratories that naturally open doors to science and agricultural literacy, recycling, biodiversity and nutrition. This remodel is more than the sum of its parts. It is more than digging and plowing and building. We are planting seeds of hope that will boost the morale of Hatch students, families and teachers and instill a sense of pride among all current and future Half Moon Bay residents. As the sun rises on Sept. 24, we hope to see streams of volunteers with wheelbarrows, hoes and rakes making their way to Hatch. By sunset, we hope to see, as Eastin once said, "...raised beds and raised hopes and expectations of joy in the school grounds." Please join us on Sept. 24 and help make a difference in a day! Both Diana Inglis and Sonja Myhre are parents of Hatch Elementary students. For more information on the project, call 726-1922 or 726-9089. |