Scout adds outdoor area for school
Students are already using the area at Elm Street Elementary.
He didn’t know exactly what he wanted to do, but William Davis knew he wanted his Eagle Scout project to benefit Elm Street Elementary School, where he went when he was younger.
So he decided to create a space where teachers and students can enjoy the outdoors while continuing to learn.
With help from family and friends, Davis built a wooden platform on the remaining stump of an old oak tree and surrounded it with seven benches on one side.
Landscaping completed the vacant corner on the school’s property with shrubs, a sapling, and pine straw.
Davis and his family attended the dedication of his finished project Friday with Elm Street Principal JoAnn Moss presenting the plaque that will be displayed to commemorate his gift.
“This is the first time I’m seeing it since we finished it in May,” Davis told a group of fourth-grade students. “I’m glad to see it’s still holding up.”
A junior at Rome High School, Davis was required to complete a community service project to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout.
“You have to be patient,” Davis said of the process. “You have to be willing to do the work and complete the task.”
Moss said the area — at South Sycamore Street and Ethel Avenue — was overgrown with weeds and considered a dangerous spot before Davis began his project. “We need to use every spot we have here,” Moss said. “There are already a lot of classes that come out here to read.”
Moss said the space could also be used as an outdoor classroom to grow plants and help comply with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) components.