Glenwood Middle School students are about to put the finishing touches on their garden project that has been three years in the making. Dedication is set for Thursday, May 15 during the school's Enrichment Fair.

The students have researched, designed and constructed an outdoor space that includes a memorial area called a Peace Garden and a classroom area they have named "Room with a View."

Kelly Storr, Gifted and Talented resource teacher, said "It started as a research investigation in my sixth-grade research class. The students were asked to conduct action research -- they had to find something they could do to make a difference. They came up with the idea of an outdoor classroom/memorial garden."

The Peace Garden section of the project is in memory of students who have passed away while attending Glenwood.

"It just so happened that one of the students working on the garden earlier this year was killed," Storr said. David Brockdorff shot to death by his father, along with his siblings and mother in an apparent murder-suicide, on Thanksgiving Day in 2007. "We are working on completing it this spring because of that situation. It has really motivated the students to hit the deadline."

"The peace garden has helped the entire Glenwood Middle School community with our grieving process related to David's passing. The development of this courtyard has turned our emotional response to the tragic events of last fall into positive action and given many persons who were touched by David the opportunity to do something very nice to remember him. It is clear that David's relatively short but positive life continues to inspire others," said Rick Wilson, Glenwood Middle School principal.

Community gets involved

According to Storr, the project has taken on a life of its own with help from the Chesapeake Bay Fund, Howard County Grounds, Master Gardeners of Howard County, local businesses and Glenwood teachers, students and parents.

"One teacher, Tom Thrasher, brought half his tool shed here to help us saw and cut and lay cement," Storr said.

The students worked on every aspect of the project. They measured, made scale drawings, mapped the sun's location and took soil samples. They researched how to arrange the seating and how to make the most of the available land. They studied native plants and conferred with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Master Gardeners to break the project into doable steps.

The original students involved in the project were Maria Smith, Cerny Kubicek, Luke Daigle, Faith Walter and Chris Swetz. Luke and Faith have moved on to high school. Maria is this year's leader.

Contributions include a donation from Home Depot, discounted building materials from Wilson Lumber, deck construction at a discount from Definitive Design and picnic table construction by Spencer Love, a former Glenwood student working on his Eagle Scout badge. Patuxent Publishing, the publisher of this paper, and parents donated recycled newspapers for weed mats under the mulch. Amy Strahl, a former Glenwood teacher, donated the bench for the Peace Garden as her retirement gift. For three years the Student Government Association has sold lollipop lips during the month of February for the project. Master Gardeners Amy Burns and Susan Bauer donated endless hours guiding the students through their plan.

This year, on the Wednesday after Earth Day, Glenwood had an in-house Earth Day field trip.

"I think we had a total of about 80 to 90 different kids out there doing all kinds of work to move this along," Storr said. On school days the students help out during their core plus time if they are caught up on their school work.

Teachers are already using the area for study and Storr hopes to add more activities in the future. The students are waiting to hear from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation about a grant they applied for this year. A Glenwood parent, Laura Weider, recently helped the school become part of a University of Maryland childhood health study called Salad Tables. The students are growing different types of lettuce and other vegetables, recording the growth rate and harvest production.

"We just sprouted last week," Storr said. "We are very proud of the students and the hard work that has gone into this project."

The Enrichment Fair begins at 6 p.m., May 15 at Glenwood Middle School, 2680 Route 97, Glenwood.

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