Grounds
Grounds Committee Chair: OPEN
Azalea planting day 2009
The outside of our school is a reflection of the care and attention that goes on inside the school. The Grounds Committee works to beautify the school grounds, bringing together parents and staff several times a year for massive volunteer Grounds Work Days. Volunteers do all kinds of work on these days, such as weeding, tilling, planting, raking, trimming, sweeping, and picking up litter. Helpers of all ages are welcome.
In 2006, the PTA Grounds Committee applied for and won a major grant from the Durham Open Spaces & Trails Commission, valued at over $50,000 (including matching funds raised by PTA and volunteer labor). Through this grant as well as additional awards from NC Beautiful, Keep Durham Beautiful, and Durham’s Urban Forestry Division, our school has since received many trees and shrubs, 90 azaleas and over 2500 plants and bulbs, as well as paving stones, materials for timber walls, and nine benches, all of which you can see in the front and side yards.
Playground, safe for the youngest students, funded by PTA in 2007
As for the back of the school: Did you know that in 2006 there was no play equipment that met safety standards for children under 5 years old? Primary classes were not permitted to play on the existing equipment, but instead were limited to a barren courtyard (the area that is now our Edible Garden). Through the DOST grant, the Grounds Committee had unsafe structures removed, and bought and installed a new play structure, rated safe for children as young as 2 (but still fun for older kids!). This is the structure closest to Dacian Ave. where Primary students now get to spend their recess. More major improvements came in 2010: a walking trail, erosion-controlling boulders, and vegetable gardens, thanks to the school’s Wellness Committee and the PTA Edible Garden Committee.
So much work has been done, and George Watts has many wonderful parents, teachers, and community supporters to thank. But there is more to be accomplished. Please consider sharing your gardening and landscaping skills by joining the PTA Grounds Committee. If you are interested in joining or chairing this committee, please contact Sabrina Lamar, PTA President.
