with school principal Damon Englese and the Bogota School board of Education to update the outside grounds of the school located at 25 Fischer Ave. in Bogota. A classic brick building received a facelift with a sleek stainless steel door and an updated staircase. This inspired the school to do more. Lincoln Landscaping President Michael Kolenut worked with the principal to design a wonderfully colorful perennial garden, that also encouraged traffic flow to exit on the designated walks. A gathering area with benches was included for parents who were waiting to pick up their children. The gardens are full of year round color and full of butterflies and pollinating bees. According to Principal Damon, besides effective leadership, a pleasing and clean environment is the second most important factor in enriching a students educational experience.

As the planting matured we volunteered our time and talked with every class in the school. Teaching the children about the project, the compost we used to promote good soil biology and strong tough plants. We discussed the varieties of the plants, their Latin names, their vivid bright colors, and even got them comfortable with the bees, gently pollinating the colorful flowers. They know they will leave the kids alone, unless of course they are seriously provoked. They soaked up the information like a sponge and in doing so took ownership of the garden. They pledged to respect and care for it. It was a delightful fall day and all had a wonderful experience learning about environmental stewardship.

Michael Kolenut
President
Lincoln Landscaping Inc.
201-848-9699
lincolnlandscape@gmail.com
lincolnlandscapinginc.com