Church Group Befriends Velma Jackson

Smitty and James

I got to school early on Saturday, November 7th about 9:30 and Mr. Day, the best janitor in the US, was there with the adapter for the hose and eased the concern about how we would get water. At ten James Black rolled up his ride with the fancy rims and helped until 1 and impressed Smitty and Greg and Lisa and Mitch with how respectful he was. It was a very good day. and we got more done in the front than I thought. We were planning to plant around the fountain and did after clearing out the circular flower bed (and saving about 20 monkey grass pods) and turning over the soil and then replanting some of the monkey grass and the new snapdragons and pansies and then Mitch went and got pine bark to mulch all our work. We also created three more flower beds – one in front of the school sign and two on each side.

This all started when I requested money for flowers around the fountain that was now cleaned out by my students, Destiny and Exavion, and had blue water. I got a curt, “do you have any dues money?” as a reply. I shared this story with my men’s study group and Smitty emailed the next day to say his church wanted both to donate flowers and to help plant them. After several emails we settled on snapdragons and pansies and lorepetulums and Indian hawthorns and a pomegranate tree. All were delivered and most of them we got planted.

One of the highlights was meeting Mitch's two girls, Hollim and Shelly and to see their eyes light up with Benita and the fish and Mojo.



In the process I rediscovered our tiller and will get it cranking for the area around the greenhouse. I look forward to planting lorepetulum and lantana along the walk of the greenhouse.

I also rediscovered the joy of service with students and community.

To top it off I was working in the greenhouse on the next Monday with my students and measuring and watering tomatoes and someone tapped me on my shoulder and startled me. It was Mr. Mumford, our principal, “You really did something this weekend. Keep up the good work.” Indeed.