Submitted by Lexington-Richland 5
When Lexington-Richland School District Five student Eric
Zimovan began thinking about his final Eagle Scout project, he knew he wanted to
give back to his community. He didn’t look far, choosing to help educators who
helped him and students who may one day follow in his path.
“I loved the idea of helping out another school in our
district,” said Zimovan, who contacted River Springs Elementary Principal
Melanie Cohen for ideas on a project at her school. “And when Ms. Cohen shared
what could be done at her school, I knew it was what I wanted to do.”
The Chapin High School senior settled on a project to turn a
garden area at the school into a literacy garden, where students could sit and
read and that teachers could utilize for outdoor lessons.
Once his project was approved by his troop committee and
Eagle Scout representatives, Zimovan went to local businesses asking for
donations for the project. He then gathered what other supplies he needed and
recruited volunteers.
His project design implemented rubber mulch, river pebbles,
posts shaped into No. 2 pencils and Scrabble®-like tiles spelling out words
like read and learn. Cohen was thrilled with how it turned out and said Eric’s
service proved the willingness students in District Five have to give back to
others.
“The garden area was in much need of an update, and Eric and
his team turned it into a beautiful space for our students,” said Cohen. “The
literacy garden is not only a wonderful celebration for our school, but for our
district as well. We have so many
students like Eric willing to give back to our community in such a meaningful
way.”
Zimovan added that he didn’t really have any landscaping
experience beforehand, but thanks to careful planning and all the help he
received along the way, he thought the whole project flowed very smoothly.
“If I didn’t have a plan going into it, things probably
would have turned out much different,” said Zimovan. “I am very satisfied with
how everything turned out and know Ms. Cohen and the students at River Springs
Elementary will really enjoy their literacy garden.”
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