April 13, 2006

Girls at work!

Girl Scout troop pitches in to beautify Almaden Lake Park

By Lorraine Gabbert
Staff Writer

Pedestrians and motorists passing by the Almaden Expressway entrance to Almaden Lake Park may notice new landscaping and an attractive, colorful flowerbed.

A Girl Scout leader changes a “men at work” sign to a more appropriate “women at work” sign while the girl scouts toil in the background planting flowers on the island leading into Almaden Lake Park. Photo by Daniel DeBolt

What they might not know is that this beautification project was the result of the planning and hard work of a group of fifth grade girls who belong to a local Junior Girl Scout troop.

Nurturing their spirits as well as the neighborhood, the Santa Clara County Junior Girl Scouts of Troop 1364 worked diligently to revitalize the park entrance island, pulling weeds, carting dirt, digging, raking and planting.

“We chose this ambitious plan because it was something the girls wanted to work on,” says co-leader Mimi Kupec, “and, I think, it’s something they truly enjoyed. Their enthusiasm’s been really high on this project.”

Girl Scouting is about courage, commitment and character, and with this project, the girls learned the meaning of those values. “We made a commitment not only to the park and the community,” says Kupec, “but in following through to get things done.”

Working together, they transformed the flat triangular section of dirt covered with heavy shrubbery, weeds and daffodils into an attractively landscaped array of colorful blossoms and perfectly positioned stones.

“The girls have done so well,” says parent volunteer Lee Ann Montrose. “They all came out here and worked really hard.”

A seed is planted
But, this project didn’t just happen overnight. It came to fruition after months of detailed planning, decision-making and cooperation.

Upon reading about the need for community volunteers to assist with park beautification due to budget cuts in a previous Almaden Times article (Dec. 8, 2005 edition), these Junior Girl Scouts were determined to make a difference.

The troop leaders contacted Parks Facilities Supervisor Mike Will, and their request to help was enthusiastically accepted. Next, they met with Ranger Jane Lawson to view the planting site and discuss details. She advised the girls that drought-tolerant, native Californian perennials would be an ideal choice for the island, as they would bloom throughout the year, and require little maintenance. Along these lines, they chose plants like red and purple penstemon, yellow grasses such as sisyrinchium, and ground cover such as arctostaphylus, to name a few.

How does our garden grow?
To learn the principals of landscape design and plant selection, the girls met weekly with Montrose, who with her extensive gardening experience, volunteered to head their project. They also received assistance from Almaden Valley Nursery in reviewing their plans and choosing their plants, as well as a tremendous contribution of dirt and stones from Stevens Creek Quarry.

“I’m happy that they put their attention on planting and landscaping,” says Almaden Valley Nursery owner Eric Wilder. “It was nice to see the girls actively participating in the project. They created the design and picked out the plants; we just helped with the layout. This truly was their project.”

After presenting their design plan to Will at the end of March, and receiving his approval to begin, the girls wasted no time in digging in. On April 1, they sunk their shovels into the earth, removing weeds and about 100 daffodil bulbs, which they saved for replanting. They not only cleared the entire area, but also added 10 truckloads of soil and compost to create an incline to showcase their decorative garden.

The following Saturday, the girls realized their goal, bringing their vision to life by planting over 80 new flowers and shrubs, replanting daffodils, and adding a number of decorative stones to their design.

The girls also learned how much work is involved in a plan of this size. But rather than being daunted by the challenge they met each one head on, even exhibiting girl power and a healthy sense of humor by adding a “Wo” to their construction sign, making it “WoMen Working.”

From left, Lauren Almeida, Erin Orsley, Simone Silver, Michelle Montrose, Alyssa Gohata and Maya Kaul. Photo by Lorraine Gabbert

Park Maintenance Assistant David Parrott is impressed with the girls’ dedication. “A simple replanting would have been sufficient,” he says, “but they went above and beyond that, doing more than I would have imagined.”

“They put in a lot of effort,” agrees Montrose, “and they had a good attitude through the whole thing. It’s been a fun journey.”

This community service project is the cornerstone toward the girls achieving their Bronze Award, the highest honor for a Junior Girl Scout, which focuses on developing leadership and planning skills and requires working on an extensive project.

Troop 1364 is made up of 12 fifth grade girls from Graystone Elementary School, Holy Spirit School and Almaden Country School. The 10 Junior Girl Scouts who participated in this project are Lauren Almeida, Emily Bordelon, Alyssa Gohata, Maya Kaul, Katie Kohler, Katie Kupec, Michelle Montrose, Erin Orsley, Simone Silver and Savannah Smith.

The girls are proud of their efforts. “I think it will be cool to drive by with my children one day and say, ‘I planted that,’ says Lauren Almeida. Savannah Smith agrees. “Whenever I pass by this site,” says Smith, “I'll remember all the hard work we put into the project. I was glad to be a part of it.”

Lawson appreciates the contributions the Junior Girl Scouts made to Almaden Lake Park and would like to see other groups make a difference in their community. “There’s always something that needs to be done,” she says, “even just raking sand on the beach or planting a corner of the park to give it character.”

Katie Kupec believes that other girls would enjoy doing a similar project. “If other troops plant flowers and trees at other places,” adds Simone Silver, “we can make the world a better place.”