Dunsmore Elementary School has a new botanical garden thanks in part to Andrew Hart, 13.  Working with landscape designer Alice Bolstad, Andrew and his team of 64 volunteers contributed over 170 hours to install about 100 plants and trees transforming the weedy lot. Vegetation that was native and drought tolerant was chosen to fill the renovated space. Planting areas include a butterfly garden, meadow area, dry creek bed and chaparral garden. Andrew installed plant and trail markers as part of his project to add to the educational value of the garden.

“We wanted to make a
fun outdoor learning environment by providing Dunsmore with a more interactive outdoor classroom that would be water-wise, attract wildlife and make the school campus more beautiful,” Andrew said.  Additional features include a decomposed granite path, large stumps to sit on, and low flow water system that was installed by Trinidad Salazar Landscaping and funded by Dunsmore
PTA.

“I was glad that I could do this project,” Andrew said. “It was more work than I expected, but I had a lot of help and I learned a lot, too. I hope that the garden will be a place that students and their families can learn from and enjoy.”

Andrew is a member of troop 391. He previously attended Dunsmore Elementary and will be a freshman at CVHS in the fall.

  Boy Scouts, dunsmore elementary