Fallsburg JSHS Completes Renaissance Grant
FALLSBURG, September 2021– During the winter of 2020, Fallsburg Junior/Senior High School’s Kristen Meyer applied for a Sullivan Renaissance Garden Grant for $1,500. When she was searching for volunteers to do the planting around the entrance to the school library, she heard that the school Ecology Club, under Advisor Goranka Rogg, was also looking to do some gardening at the school.
They joined forces cleaning out old mulch, replacing it and planting flowers and shrubs to spruce up the entire area. One of the requirements of the grant was receiving matching in-kind or cash donations from vendors in the area. Woodbourne Lawn & Garden made generous donations to the project with topsoil and mulch. Manza’s Nursery in Montgomery, along with Liberty Agway provided discounts on trees and plants for the entrance beautification.
In late June on a Saturday morning, Ms. Meyer and Ms. Rogg brought their groups together to begin the preparation for the new plantings. Included among the students were Maritza Rivas Joya, Samantha Medina, Isaias Argueta Hernandez, Cian Meyer, Dayanara Olan, Mike Aguilar Torres, Marcos Fuentes Hernandez, Haddy Gai, Aisha Darboe, Neema Darboe, Cyriah Russell, Ruth Murillo. They were joined by adult staff members Sharon Blake and Lisa Pacheco. Offering great support for the operation were custodians Kyle Donnelly and Craig Cookingham.
In addition to the donations and grant funds, the Ecology Club raised money through the selling of discount cards. Ms. Meyer intends on applying for an additional grant from Sullivan Renaissance to improve other entrances to the building with perennial flowers and shrubs.