(above, l-r) The Builders Club members and adults at the Lincoln School in Garwood gather after constructing a garden at the front of the school. Lincoln School teacher Sue Naples, Mayor Jen Blumenstock, the students, and Builders Club adviser Michelle Coyle, at right. At the very far right in the picture are some of the colorful stones the students painted at one of their earlier meetings.
Builders Club Beautifies School Garden
Clark Kiwanis Club
Michelle Coyle, Social Worker at the Lincoln School in Garwood, and adviser to the newly formed Builders Club at the school, is excited about the first big service project her students completed recently. On a sunny, spring day, the students, Garwood Mayor Jen Blumenstock, Lincoln School teacher Sue Naples and adviser Coyle gathered to construct a garden in the school’s front yard. But before work on the project could begin, preparations started with Ms. Naples and Ms. Coyle visiting the Home Depot in Garwood to plan and select the bushes and plants and other materials needed for the project. Ms. Naples’ expertise in gardening proved invaluable.
Under the direction of Ms. Naples, the students planted flowers that attract bees and butterflies. “This garden will be used for years to come when elementary classes release butterflies in our own garden in front of the school,” Ms. Coyle said. According to the adviser, the students worked hard to mulch, plant, and place colorful, inspirational, stones framing the area. The individually painted stones were ones that the students crafted after school at one of their Builders Club meetings. At the conclusion of the event, Ms. Coyle thanked the school’s Student Council, Garwood Home Depot, and the P.T.A. for their generous donations and Mayor Blumenstock and the Garwood Green Team for their help during the project.
Ms. Coyle, with the approval of her superintendent Christopher Kinney, her principal Mary Emmons, and the sponsoring Kiwanis Club of Clark, started the process of chartering the new club with the international organization back in December. It was no surprise that she chose this club to initiate and sponsor since she was a graduate of Arthur L. Johnson High School in Clark and was a member of their Key Club while at the high school. “When I was thinking of starting a club that would be fun for our kids and help them learn about their community and others, I immediately thought about the Builders Club that is a branch of Kiwanis,” she explained. Kiwanis Club of Clark President Bruce Jones praised her choice. “We’re excited for Ms. Coyle’s initiative in getting the kids involved in the community and becoming a part of our Kiwanis family.”
For more information about the Builders Club, Key Club or the Kiwanis Club of Clark (the adult organization), contact crusadersue@hotmail.comThe purpose of the student clubs is to offer opportunities to students of all ages to learn to lead and to serve their communities through volunteerism. Kiwanis International is a global, non-profit service organization that collectively completes more than 18 million volunteer hours annually to strengthen communities and serve the needs of children of the world.
Photo by Garwood Public Schools
