Pion School gets greenery

It started out as the annual spring barbecue for the Pion Elementary Arbor Day but when the event concluded, much more was accomplished than just eating lunch.

Melanie McKinley, of the Pion Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization, said in addition to the barbecue, which Cub Scout Pack 326 cooked, students and about 60 parents got their hands dirty and the campus beautiful.

Sixth-graders constructed 22 planter barrels using materials such as empty milk jugs and landscape materials. The planter barrels are self-watering and water-efficient; McKinley said plants only need water about once a week.

The whole school got involved in other activities such as planting 10 trees, which were purchased through a $770 grant from Keep New Mexico Beautiful.

McKinley said the grant is really appreciated because the elementary school playground was “seriously lacking in shade.”

She said the school is also grateful to Sandoval Excavating, which dug out holes for the trees. If it were not for Sandoval Excavating, McKinley said, everyone would still be digging.

In addition to planting, students pulled out sandpaper and sanded down wooden benches and the wooden amphitheater in preparation for re-staining and picked out rocks from the lawn to diminish any chances of projectile rocks when the grass is mowed.

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