New greenhouse at Camelot Elementary garden | PHOTOS

Camelot Elementary School in Federal Way is a 2012 recipient of the $5,000 Lowe’s Toolbox for Education grant. On Thursday, Lowe’s sent a team of employees and community volunteers to deliver and assemble a 6-foot-by-16-foot greenhouse for the school’s community garden.

October 12, 2012 5:19 pm
On Thursday
On Thursday

From staff reports:

Camelot Elementary School in Federal Way is a 2012 recipient of the $5,000 Lowe’s Toolbox for Education grant. On Thursday, Lowe’s sent a team of employees and community volunteers to deliver and assemble a 6-foot-by-16-foot greenhouse for the school’s community garden. (SEE PHOTOS)

Some of the grant money went to purchase the greenhouse. The rest will go toward shelving and potting tables for the greenhouse, class sets of garden tools for students, and tables and benches for an outdoor classroom.

The Camelot community garden is used daily by students as young as pre-school up to fifth grade. The kindergarten class harvested a whole bucket of tomatoes the other day and had them for a healthy snack.

The greenhouse will extend the garden’s growing season and provide many more opportunities for active, hands on learning.

Instead of having to pay a delivery fee and a separate installation charge, the Auburn Lowe’s sent a team of managers, employees, and volunteers to deliver and set it up free of charge.

According to Camelot teacher Darcy Borg:

“This is just another way that local businesses and schools work together to provide better learning opportunities for students and improve community relationships. Our PTA President Gina Cory was present for pictures and along with other PTA members offered coffee and muffins to the volunteers and workers. Associate Pastor Bryan Kahue from Westhill Church was on hand to help out with the greenhouse set up and also donated time and labor to install benches in the south end of the garden to provide enough seating for a whole class. Again, another example of the community effort and how the garden is bringing many different people from all walks of life together.”

Camelot is also the first elementary school in Washington state to receive the Department of Education’s Green Ribbon School Award in the first year of the national awards program.

To learn more, contact dborg@fwps.org.

PHOTOS

Click here to see photos of the greenhouse and volunteers at Camelot Elementary School.