A patch of dirt that students once walked on without a second thought is now a blooming bed of yellows, reds and purples.
The flowers are part of a beautification project at Westover High School that aims to bolster school pride. Principal Thomas Benson asked Willie Freeman, a teacher who has done similar work in the past, for ideas about upgrading the facility to increase students’ morale.
“I feel an obligation to enhance where I’m employed,” Freeman said.
Freeman used school funds to buy flowers and solicited donations from a local business to revamp landscaping around the school. The result, according to assistant principal John Green, is a “mini botanical garden.”
Westover students helped Freeman plant, distribute mulch and replace rotted wood around flower beds with bricks.
They planted roses, boxwoods, pansies, sunflowers and other long-lasting and low-maintenance greenery.
Stone benches provide an extra touch to the tranquil area near the high school’s main office entrance.
“When my students were asked by other students why they were doing this,” Freeman said, “they started to say, ‘This is our school, and we want to enhance our school.’ “
Green was involved in a similar project when he worked at Terry Sanford High School. He said that success can be repeated at Westover.
“I’m hoping we’ll see them being a little more conscientious,” Green said, noting that students are already leaving less trash around.
“When I put up the wood fence,” Freeman said, “I wasn’t sure it would still be there the next day, but it was.”
Freeman and his students will maintain the landscaping throughout the year to reinforce the school’s motto – “Powerful Beyond Measure: Wolverine Pride.”
Green, who graduated from Westover in 2002, plans to broaden the recycling program at the school this year. Also, the Wolverine paw prints at the school’s entrance will be repainted to honor notable faculty members and students.
“When I went to school here, we took the mind-set of, ‘It’s just Fayetteville; I’d rather be somewhere else,’ ” he said. “But as I grew up a little more, I realized home is what you make of it.”
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