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Park vandals damage Kiwanis Park flower gardens just planted by Williams Lake children

Strong Start children planted water wise plants, while Cataline students were sowing kindness

After Mountview Elementary Strong Start and two classes from Cataline Elementary spent part of their morning planting flowers in Kiwanis Park, vandals in the park on the weekend smashed glass and pulled out the plants.

Amandah Cullum, the Mountview Elementary Strong Start Educator said the class had such a great time getting their hands in the earth to plant the Kiwanis Park entry garden.

While she was sad to hear their work was damaged, she was glad to hear the city had replanted the beds and would replace any plants which did not survive.

The Strong Start class had paid for half of the cost of the plants with Mountview Elementary paying for half of the plants they installed. The Strong Start class ended up having enough plants and helping hands to plant the front garden as well under the entry sign.

In another section of garden, a Grade 5 Cataline class and Rya Enns’s kindergarten class spent part of their day planting flowers which were donated by Horsefly Nursery and the Cataline PAC.

Enns said their work was part of ongoing efforts to include acts of kindness throughout the year in their school and community as a way to reconnect after two years of pandemic restrictions.

The children said they were happy to plant the flowers, as they looked as their work.

Cullum said children and families in her program are very eager to learn all they can about Waste and Water Wise.

“I feel very proud that we were able to choose and talk about Water Wise plants that we planted today,” said Cullum.

Some of the plants the group put in were: snap dragon, marigold, pansy, petunia, impatiens and cosmos all examples from the Conservation Society’s Water Wise Plant Guide. Each family took home a guide as well as the Xeriscape Gardening and 15 Easy Ways to Save Water Every Day.

“We look forward to visiting to see the progress of our community building/connection adventure today,” said Cullum.

“I strongly believe that the more that children and families are immersed into the role of caretakers of the Earth including our city, in the form of one of their favourite play places, they will truly build their own sense of pride for their community as well as naturally become future stewards and conservationists.”

READ MORE: DOWN TO EARTH: Harnessing the sun at Gavin Lake

READ MORE: DOWN TO EARTH: Keep making individual changes in 2023 to help the environment



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