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Melrose Park students plant garden of promises
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| Melrose Park Elementary students Kavien Gillyard (from left) and Derien Anders get assistance Friday from Richardson Middle School FFA student Zachary Peterson as they plant tulip bulbs in the school’s Plant-A-Promise Garden. TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter |
Youngsters give their word to remain drug, tobacco, alcohol free.
By TONY BRITT
tbritt@lakecityreporter.com
Melrose Park Elementary School students made promises to remain alcohol, tobacco and drug free.
To symbolize their promises, school and Columbia County Health Department officials created the Melrose Park Elementary School Plant A Promise Garden, where created a garden to raise flowers associated with their drug-free promises.
As part of the Plant A Promise program, 500 Melrose Park Elementary School students planted tulips and daffodils. Melrose Park Elementary School was the only county elementary school to agree to participate in the program.
“They’re planting a promise to remain tobacco, drug and alcohol free,” said Terry Miller, a Florida Department of Health employee who works with the Healthy Communities - Healthy Families program. “These flowers are going to come up in April and each student that planted a flower will his name right by the flower. So, that promise will be a reminder to them about the promise they made to themselves and to us. It also shows, from us, that we care about each one of them as an individual and we want them to turnout out as a healthy, responsible citizen.”
Richardson Middle School FFA students helped the elementary school children properly plant the flower bulbs.
“This is a garden we’re planting here today, but we hope to have it here years in the future,” Miller said.
Angelina Boggs, Columbia County Health Department tobacco cessation specialist, said Red Ribbon Week is just one week out the year , while the Plant A Promise project is a year-long initiative.
“We wanted it to be a year-long promise so every time they came out they could see the promise they made to remain drug, alcohol and tobacco-free,” she said. “It reminds them throughout the year instead of just that one week.”
Jeannie Lord, a Melrose Park pre-kindergarten handicapped teacher, said students enjoying participating in the program.
“Our younger kids didn’t quite understand the concept, but I believe the older ones understand it a little better,” she said. “In the spring, when the flowers start blooming and growing, they younger kids may understand the concept of, ‘I planted that and look it grew up.’”
To symbolize their promises, school and Columbia County Health Department officials created the Melrose Park Elementary School Plant A Promise Garden, where created a garden to raise flowers associated with their drug-free promises.
As part of the Plant A Promise program, 500 Melrose Park Elementary School students planted tulips and daffodils. Melrose Park Elementary School was the only county elementary school to agree to participate in the program.
“They’re planting a promise to remain tobacco, drug and alcohol free,” said Terry Miller, a Florida Department of Health employee who works with the Healthy Communities - Healthy Families program. “These flowers are going to come up in April and each student that planted a flower will his name right by the flower. So, that promise will be a reminder to them about the promise they made to themselves and to us. It also shows, from us, that we care about each one of them as an individual and we want them to turnout out as a healthy, responsible citizen.”
Richardson Middle School FFA students helped the elementary school children properly plant the flower bulbs.
“This is a garden we’re planting here today, but we hope to have it here years in the future,” Miller said.
Angelina Boggs, Columbia County Health Department tobacco cessation specialist, said Red Ribbon Week is just one week out the year , while the Plant A Promise project is a year-long initiative.
“We wanted it to be a year-long promise so every time they came out they could see the promise they made to remain drug, alcohol and tobacco-free,” she said. “It reminds them throughout the year instead of just that one week.”
Jeannie Lord, a Melrose Park pre-kindergarten handicapped teacher, said students enjoying participating in the program.
“Our younger kids didn’t quite understand the concept, but I believe the older ones understand it a little better,” she said. “In the spring, when the flowers start blooming and growing, they younger kids may understand the concept of, ‘I planted that and look it grew up.’”
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