Tribute garden at Aurora school took some determination to sprout

The first phase of the new reading garden at Nancy Young Elementary School in Aurora took only about a week to build.

But the seeds for the outdoor classroom, which opened to students late last week, actually were planted three years ago as a tribute to a retiring principal.

The students who use the new space in the coming years for reading and studying math and science may not realize it, but there are other lessons to be learned here, too.

If they look closely enough at the garden's short history they will discover a little something about determination, resilience and perseverance.

They may even see a practical application of that old ditty: If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.

There are worse lessons to learn.

History lesson Jenny Giambalvo had led the Indian Prairie Unit District 204 elementary school - had been its face - from the day it opened in 1999. Now the principal was stepping down and faculty and parents were looking for a way to say "thank you." At first blush, creating a reading garden seemed the perfect choice.It wasn't.First, organizers lacked the necessary money. Second, they placed the fledgling garden at the rear of the school in a high-traffic area where kids in different classes enjoyed recess for the better part of the day. It was hardly a location that lent itself to the peace and quiet that makes you want to curl up and get lost in the pages of a book. Before you could play a quick game of four-square, the garden's lone bench was broken and half the plants had died.It was hardly the tribute anyone had imagined.But while the garden went to seed, the dream behind it refused to die. Rob Maldonado, the school's physical education teacher, was one of those who refused to surrender. He knew how his students responded when they were able to spend time outside on nice days and he was convinced providing other teachers with a well-designed outdoor setting would provide an educational benefit for their classes, too. In a school that houses 810 students, where teachers use every nook and every cranny, a reading garden still seemed the perfect choice. It would provide, Maldonado says, "a great opportunity to do some additional learning in a different environment." Two years ago, he brought the idea back to the school's PTA with the full support of Principal Adrienne Morgan."We decided," he says, "to take another whack at it."Building support Taking another whack at it, of course, required someone in the PTA to share Maldonado's vision.Someone who had kids at Young and who was already active in the school community. Someone who really, really liked the school and its faculty and someone who was willing to dig in and get things done.She would prefer the credit go elsewhere, but talk to anybody involved and they'll tell you it required someone like Robin Adamchik.The project captured the PTA mom's imagination and soon Adamchik, Maldonado and others were setting out to generate support for the re-imagined garden. The first thing they realized was they had to learn from their past mistakes. This time they envisioned a garden that would serve as an extension of the building, a place with tiered seating where teachers could bring classes to read, discuss social studies and practice math; it would be a place where they could touch nature and conduct science experiments.This time it would be constructed at the front of the school, shaded from the hot afternoon sun and away from the recess-related hustle and bustle. It would use environmentally friendly materials. It would provide enough space for an entire class of students but be cozy enough for just one kid.And it would come together in phases, so it could be built right. It would begin as a small amphitheater with a few trees, but there would be room to add native flowers and perhaps a rain garden or a butterfly garden or both.The second thing they realized was their "Help Our Garden Grow" campaign was going to need something the first effort didn't have: money."We wanted to make it right and long-lasting," Maldonado says. "We wanted to give students and teachers a different opportunity to learn."The school's second annual Run for Fun last spring seemed like the ideal vehicle. The run and walk - along with a pancake breakfast served by faculty and staff and a silent auction - drew more than 1,000 people and raised roughly $10,000, Adamchik says. When the PTA combined that money with some price breaks from their contractor, Twin Oaks Landscaping in Oswego, they were ready to fund construction of the first phase of the garden, which was unveiled last week. The space largely consists of stadium-style seating that holds about 30 students, a paved area where the teacher or speaker can stand, and several donated trees - including one from the 30 or so students in the school's E-Action Club, an environmental group headed by fourth-grade teacher Linda Petzke. Adamchik likens the garden to a miniature version of the tiered amphitheater along Naperville's downtown Riverwalk. "We're always looking for a place for the kids," she says. "What's better than being outdoors on a beautiful day? It's a perfect place to teach a class or just to go read by yourself."Organizers say they dream of adding additional native plantings that can help students learn about the environment. The site eventually will include a rain barrel students have painted and maybe those butterfly and rain gardens Adamchik and Maldonado talk about. That, of course, will require more money, and late last week organizers got some good news in the form of a $5,000 grant from the city of Aurora funneled through Alderman Linda Elmore.Adamchik already is writing other grant applications with the hope organizers may be able to tackle the project's second phase - more trees and grasses and bushes and mulch - much sooner than anticipated.'Cheering us on'These are tough days for schools and the folks involved in building the Young reading garden know it. They know some will question the wisdom of such a project in difficult financial times; they know some will question whether it's the best use of PTA resources. Morgan, though, says her school is "definitely very excited to have the extra learning space" and she praises "a very supportive PTA that's definitely cheering us on and helping us do things for the kids." Whether it's the 5K run or bingo nights or movie nights, Maldonado says the Young community always has worked together to make the school a better place - and this is just the latest example. "This is a fabulous school with a fabulous faculty and a fabulous staff," says Adamchik, who checked on the construction several times a day last week. "I'm just so excited, I can't even tell you. People are really buzzing about it."Maldonado knows the feeling. He was there when the original reading garden fell into disrepair and now he's there to see a new and better garden grow in its place."It's been a long time coming," he says. "It's great to see something that's just come to fruition, something that will help our kids learn even more."He doesn't say it, but there might be a lesson there for all of us.True20001359Plans for the reading garden at Young Elementary School actually began taking shape several years ago.Bev Horne | Staff PhotographerTrue