Harriet Tubman Village Charter SchoolAt the bottom of this page is a slide show of images from the event.
Together with several members of the La Mesa Sunrise Rotary Club, Helix High School students, San Diego State Rotaract Club members, 8th grade students, parents and staff members from Harriet Tubman Village Charter School, we assembled new benches, raised planters and a sandbox from pre-cut wood made by one of Betty Howland's friends. Our volunteers painted all of the new and old wooden structures with primer, and after it dried, painted them all with vibrant colors. Elly bought wooden bird houses and Helix High students painted them with creative colors and designs. She also brought old CDs that she painted on one side. The Helix students, JoAnn Bergquist, and some of the little children who came with their parents, used permanent Sharpie pens to design intricate and colorful patterns on the other sides. These were hung on the chain link fence to catch the sunlight.
The gardeners among us re-filled the old planters with fresh soil and planted tomato plants and corn and included marigolds to repel insects. Clara Harris supplied some milkweed plants and they were put in to attract Monarch butterflies. In the orchard area, holes were dug using an auger, and many new fruit trees were planted. The existing planters in the orchard were filled with fresh soil and new vegetable plants, weeds were cleared, and ice plant on the hill side cut back.
The kindergarten area was cleared of weeds. Many new fruit trees were planted in the school orchard. The outdoor tables were scrubbed and polished, and fresh sand and sand toys were added to the kindergarten play yard. The boys' and girls' bathrooms were painted with inspirational designs and messages by the 8th grade students and staff along with Lilly and Isabel Alba.