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May 5th , 2012 
15:17 pm
Nearly 40 students at Hampton High School have taken part in a special project designed to beautify the exterior of their school. HHS Agriculture Teacher Gary Keith has been working with the students to complete the project in time for graduation.
Keith, who is completing his first year at Hampton, said the student response to the landscaping project has been overwhelmingly positive. Keith has been an educator in Carter County for the last 30 years. He has spent most of that time at Cloudland High School before taking the job at Hampton at the start of the school year.
The veteran educator commented, “I would like for people to say this is the most beautiful campus in Carter County. That’s what I talked to my landscaping students about when we first discussed this idea. We worked up a plan and then we talked to (Hampton High School Principal Jeff Bradley) about it. We then approached (School Board Chairman Kelly Crain) about getting the necessary funds to make it happen,” said Keith.
Crain was able to obtain approximately $1,800 in funding from the Carter County Board of Education to purchase the necessary items to start the landscaping project at Hampton. Keith’s 6th period landscaping class was initially responsible for working on the project. “At first, I had that class handling all the work, but then I had other students ask to help us work on it. It wasn’t just the people who directly worked on the landscaping who have assisted us. We also had some others who volunteered to watch the greenhouse while we took care of the project,” he said.
A number of different types of flower bushes have been placed around the school. The flower beds are located along a large portion of the school. The students in Keith’s landscaping and agriculture classes have spent many hours planting flowers, laying mulch and placing edging along the sidewalks.
Keith has also worked on the storm water drains running on the walls of the school. The pipes now run underneath the flower beds, providing water for the plants.
In the coming years, Keith said he plans to continue to work with students on additional projects at Hampton High School. Some of those ideas include the construction of a gazebo and a gathering space with an area for staff and student picnics. “We have even talked about the possibility of adding a fire pit outside the school,” Keith said.
Both Crain and Bradley had high praise for the initiative shown by Keith and his students. “I really appreciate the addition of Mr. Keith to our staff at Hampton,” said Crain. “He has some wonderful ideas. The kids have really bought into what he’s doing and they’ve taken a great deal of pride in their school. To be perfectly honest, I can’t remember when the school has been as pretty as it is now. This is the best that Hampton High School has ever looked.”
“All we had to do was provide him with the tools he needed. He got the job done,” Bradley said. “I know the kids really enjoyed getting to do this. I can’t say enough for the work that Mr. Keith and the students have done this year.”
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