Making Dandridge Elementary School Beautiful
Volunteers gathered outside Dandridge Elementary School early Saturday morning on November 2 to help plant trees in an effort to revamp the grounds. The beautification project, made possible by grants from Modern Woodmen of America, a not-for-profit fraternal financial service organization, was a goal set last year by the school’s PTO. Amy McFarlane, president of the PTO, stated that everyone was so excited to finally see this happening after a year of planning. The goal involves a myriad of modifications to the campus, which include a new swing set, a painted map of USA, numerous trees and plants, and eventually, a community garden.
Modern Woodmen of America, who contributed over $900,000 to the East Tennessee region last year, donated $2,500 this past March, which was used towards the new swings and the paint for the map. The painted map of USA is located outside on the playground and is unmarked, so children may use it as an educational tool. For example, teachers will receive a folder of each state with information, such as that state’s flower and capital, and students will be asked to find the different states on the unmarked map.
MWA also provided an additional $1,000 specifically for the beautification process and the purchase of trees and plants, which include five large maple trees, one smaller maple, one tulip poplar, four Cyprus cedars, several dogwoods, twenty azalea bushes, four snowballs, and three hydrangeas. These were planted on Saturday morning by the Men’s Group of First Baptist Church of Dandridge and Chuck Devotie, a representative of Modern Woodmen of America. Chuck, an alumnus of Dandridge Elementary School, said as an agent of Modern Woodmen, he is privileged with opportunities-such as the DES beautification project-to involve himself in the community, and he loves to see how the Jefferson County area greatly benefits from the donations of MWA.
The students will directly profit from this project by gaining a substantial amount of knowledge through outside lessons and games, and the community will realize an improved sense of culture and beauty. For more information about Modern Woodmen of America, please visit www.modern-woodmen.org
