Girl Scouts Earth Day Project Aids 5-6 Center

Girl Scouts Troop 7902 held its Earth Day Project 2012 at the on April 18 after school. The scouts, along with members of the high school's National Honors Society, sixth grade teacher Dacia Williams, and scout leaders Arlene Hudak and Jennifer Kuklentz, planted flowers and shrubs, cleaned up the area and worked on the pond at the school's courtyard.

All of this was done with the skies darkening, but the rain held out long enough for the project to complete.

"Mrs. Hudak came to me and had an idea for a service project to work with us every year," said Williams. "I try to come out here with the classes I have and clean up the courtyard, fix the pond, work on different things. We're about five years into this project with this courtyard and it's starting to look a little bit worse for wear. She came at a perfect time and she tireless went and got help."

Hudak went on and got about 13 businesses to lend a helping hand, donating fetilizer, mulch and plants for the cause. The Scouts also brought one plant each to put in the garden. In need of service hours, the National Honors Society also sent a few members to help out with the heavy lifting.

"We usually do a bunch of service projects every year and this is the second one we did this month," said Hudak, referencing the first as the project. "Our troop is also donating a tree as well as a sign so we can continue to do this from year to year to make this area more beautiful than it already is."

Williams said the area is used as an outdoor classroom, where students plant garden boxes, maintain the pond ecosystem, which is self-contained, and the new rainwater harvesting system that was installed last summer.

"It just keeps developing, evolving and growing every year," said Williams. "And the project gives [the students] ownership. This is their school and it's a nice place to be. We want to keep it that way, too."

Hudak said the Scouts learned about working with others and respect for the environment and community.

"We've been very excited," Hudak said. "We've been talking about this for five months now. They have been really all on board about when it was, just hoping it was nice weather. Each girl is in multiple activities. Every girl today seems to be here. We have 19 girls in our troop and we thought what a good way to show others that they really show pride in what they did today."

The Scouts thanked corporate sponsors for donations, including: Oaks Lowe's (Chris Drumeller, store manager), Famer's Daughter Farm Market, Pottstown Home Depot (John Cox, operations manager), Limerick Hardware Company, Hetrick Gardens, Wendy's FLowers, Wojton's Nursery, Oaks Garens, Bechtelsville Walmart (Richard Mroczka, store manager), Achin' Back Garden Center, Colonial Gardens, Hoffman's Nursery, and Meng Road Greenhouse.

"This really has been wonderful for our school and it's going to be beautiful," Williams said.