Recently members of the Holbrook community, the LDS Painted Desert Ward Elders Quorum and the LDS missionaries helped the Hulet and Park elementary schools’ STEM Gardening Club clear and prepare an area at Park Elementary School that has been designated as the school’s garden. Students and teachers that are part of the club expressed gratitude for their hard work and support. The Gardening Club has been meeting every Monday and Tuesday for the past four weeks to learn all about plants and what is involved with growing and harvesting the produce. Plants and supplies have been able to be purchased due to support from the local University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Office and the Diamondbacks grant. The students and staff also want to thank to China Cassidy and Swell Farmacy for their donation of mulch to enrich the soil, Pizza Hut for their donation of pizza boxes that were used to make solar ovens, Western Auto for their donation of large appliance boxes for weed control in the open area garden space, APS (Arizona Public Service) for their sponsorship of a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) field trip to the Arizona Science Center, and community members and parents who have donated their time and shared ideas and plants. Help is still needed, so individuals or groups are welcome to contact either school for information on how to volunteer.
