Still soaring ever higher

Volunteer work continues at local school

Moods were still jovial as the volunteer garden landscaping project at Soaring Heights School in Mifflin entered its third day. One might have mistaken the event for a makeshift carnival, given the laughter, colorful rock painting, and the tree trimmer briefly walking around on stilts.

Both familiar and new faces showed up for this third installment of the local gardening saga, which had departed the weeding phase and entered a state where small groups of volunteers broke into specialized groups for individual tasks. One group trimmed the tree while one laid cardboard around freshly planted flowers and shrubs. Another group painted vibrant rocks with warm messages to be scattered around the garden after it was finally mulched. Still aother group gathered large rocks to pile around the drainage system in the garden's center, a decorative method of preventing the mulch from clogging the drain during a storm (if anyone remembers what those are).

After finishing these smaller projects, the group reconvened to spread the mulch bucket-brigade style, with some shoveling, some ferrying mulch-filled wheelbarrows and buckets, and others spreading the mulch as it was dumped into the garden.

"I couldn't just see this kind of thing happening in my own community and not get involved," said Josh Ranck, one of the volunteers. "I want these kids to have a better childhood than I did. I just want to do my part to make that happen."

The group will return today at 4p.m. and plans on planting more flowers, finishing the mulching, and doing some work around the school's sign. They hope to have the place looking beautiful just in time for students to begin their classes in the fall, which is right around the corner. Anyone who would like to help out is welcome.