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5-06 CSHS Construction and Leadership Classes Build Gazebo for Village of Islands, Community

ISLAMORADA, Fla. – Several attendees choked back tears at the dedication ceremony held Monday, May 22 for the new gazebo constructed at the Plantation Tropical Preserve and Children’s Memorial Tree Garden on Plantation Key. It was built by construction students at Coral Shores High School as part of a Monroe Youth Challenge Program (MYCP) Leadership class project that was made possible by partnerships between the Islamorada Village of Islands, MYCP, Coral Shores High School, Florida Learn & Serve, Tree Gardens Inc. and several local businesses. The project also entailed landscaping and creating a scrapbook honoring each tree planted in the Children’s Memorial Tree Garden (CTMG).

An emotional speech was given by leadership student Tyler Burch. Although he started with a chuckle, he ended in a reflective gasp when he said, “We planted 70 plants – which is not easy in the Keys. We tried to create an environment where someone can come and reflect. All this work wasn’t just to make a garden. It’s to remember a loved one.” Burch’s mother died last year. His father, Lyn Burch, stood near as Tyler spoke at the gazebo dedication ceremony.

There were other moving vignettes during the dedication celebration too. Like watching Kay MacKenzie open the scrapbook and see the page of the tree honoring her son Lucas James Floren (12/10/83 – 7/30/05) who she planted a Jatropha tree for in the garden. Luke’s brother Michael Floren was in the leadership class the previous semester and also spent time at the preserve watering plants and maintaining the site. Michele Sutter, who has been the MYCP staff member and driving force behind the students at the garden, sent an enlarged photo one of the students took from a stylized angle showing a branch of the Jatropha tree over a mosaic on the ground to MacKenzie with a card. MacKenzie wrote back, “I just LOVE having this picture that shows the beauty of the tree and the fabulous mosaic my friend made in honor of Luke. You have truly touched my heart and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this most treasured gift.”

That interaction was made possible because five young men in a high school leadership class were willing to take on a huge task of planning, building, digging, planting, watering, photographing, and then scrap booking an individual page for each tree planted so far that represents a son or daughter lost from a family in this community. Sutter said, “Every class that’s helped work at the garden has had a student who has a tree planted in the memorial garden. Last year Tyler Everson was in the class that began the butterfly garden project. There is a tree planted for his brother, Christopher. His mother, Kelly has become an active member in the non profit, and has given me a great deal of support with this project. This garden has more to it than anyone can imagine when they drive by.”

Howard Gelbman, CMTG Vice President attended the gazebo dedication ceremony and watched as MacKenzie gently turned each page of the scrap book. Later he told Sutter, “Your group did a great job. It is nice to see teenagers involved in community efforts.” Children’s Memorial Tree Gardens Inc. is a nonprofit 501 C 3 Corporation. It provides dedicated areas within municipal passive parks where parents who have lost a child may dedicate, close to home, a living tree with a plaque in memory of that child. Their tree, through its growth, symbolically represents that future lost.

These stories and others are what drove a five-man leadership class to create and see through completion the addition of this gazebo, butterfly garden, and scrapbook as part of their leadership requirements under the Florida Learn and Serve Grant awarded them this year. The five students were Tyler Burch, Nick Jackson, Jake Gray, Matthew O’Neill, and Adam Gibbs. In her speech MYCP District Prevention Coordinator said, “Thanks to two Florida Learn & Serve grants and community matches totaling a value near $8,000, and the tireless efforts of the Monroe County School District Learn and Serve Grant Coordinator Sunny Booker, the Islamorada Village of Islands Plantation Tropical Preserve and Children’s Memorial Tree Garden has been blessed with this center-piece gazebo, new native butterfly-attracting plants, and a photo album commemorating each memorial tree planted so far. These students along with Mrs. Pepin’s construction class have done an outstanding job.”

In addition to Village residents, staff and Councilwoman Patty Schmidt, Village Mayor Chris Sante attended the dedication and was the keynote speaker. Sante brought levity to the ceremony with encouraging words about the students and their work after handing each one of them a certificate of recognition. Sante was on the Village Council when they decided to buy the tract of land that is now home to the PTP and CMTG on the bayside that parallels U.S. One between Tavernier Creek Marina and Plantation Boat Mart. He chuckled as he talked with the construction teacher Linda Pepin because he realized the left-over campaign funds he donated to her class were spent to buy the tools used to build the gazebo. Sante was proud of the leadership class and said, “This is a good example of what you give to the community you get back. If everyone gave a little bit this place would be fantastic.” Sante also donated the benches placed around the preserve.

Members of the construction class that helped build the gazebo were Jared Raskob, Robert DeSantis, Brennan Malone, William McGrath, Hunter Barron, Billy Hart, Devin Cooper, Adam Krulasik, Brian Walters, and Brandon Pranse. Krulasik served as the student foreman for the project. He’s in Construction IV and also spoke at the dedication. He said, “It was all pre fabricated. It was simple. No problems. It was fun while it lasted. We like getting out of the classroom too!” While his words were to the point, they were poignant too. The educators’ mission with the Learn and Serve Grant is to make education practical, to turn every day math, literacy, and science in to real-life experiences students enjoy and the community benefits from. Almost every student that spoke pointed out how they enjoyed being out of school building, yet they had to apply science in their plans and drafts, math in their budget presentations, and language arts in their proposals and the scrapbook.

Another student Matthew O’Neill chimed in, “I didn’t even know what a gazebo was to be honest but I did research on the internet. It was real quick to get up and went real smooth. Thank you Mrs. [Anjanette] McGregor for letting us come over here.”

One of the quieter students to participate was a new student at Coral Shores this year, Jake Gray. He and Burch took the photographs and made the scrap book pages under the instruction of photographer Cindy Gray, and volunteer Martha Meroni, a Creative Memories Scrapbook Consultant in Key Largo. At the dedication Gray said, “We know it means a lot to everyone here. I’m glad I had a chance to help. I hope it continues on in years to come.”

Similar sentiments were expressed by Village Parks and Recreation Director John Sutter. He thanked the school, MYCP and Zully Williams for her work and added, “This project is an example of how a community can work with government to improve our neighborhoods and parks. Our community partners are of great value and I appreciate those who contributed to this project. This little out-of the-way place is very special.”

Sante, both Sutters, and Sunny Booker handed out awards and invited attendees to enjoy refreshments under the tent and to spend time looking at the scrap book. Special thanks noted in the program went to: Maryann Lemak, Master Gardner; Kim Coldicott, 4-H Extension Agent; Dixie Aluminum; Mike and Kim Provata of the Florida Keys Native Nursery; Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park; Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park; Forest Tek; Florida Fence Co.; Keys Engineering; CSHS Teachers Anjanette McGregor, Brenda Bush, and Linda Pepin; Sunny Booker, Monroe County Safe School Coordinator; and Michele Sutter, Monroe Youth Challenge Program District Prevention Coordinator.

Monroe Youth Challenge Program is a project of the Monroe County Education Foundation to foster acceptance, respect, and success in the youth of Monroe County. For more information about this project, Challenge Day, Next Step, or any other MYCP sponsored program call MYCP District Prevention Coordinator Michele Sutter at (305) 852-1664 or go to www.keysschools.com. For information regarding Florida Learn and Serve, contact Monroe County School District Learn and Serve Grant Coordinator Sunny Booker at (305) 293-1400 ext. 319. For information about the Children’s Memorial Tree Garden contact Howard Gelbman at (305) 453-3607, treegarden@aol.com or visit http://childrensmemorialtreegardens.org/