By Keely Whittington
Special to The SUN
First-graders at Pagosa Springs Elementary School took on a big project this April when they started their community service project, “Chores for Quarters.”
There were 120 students who wrote persuasive letters to their families outlining ways they proposed to earn quarters.
One student, Jay Reyes, listed his three main chores as, “giving the baby her bottle, cleaning the bathroom and washing the dogs.”
Families and friends were encouraged to reward students with 25 cents for each chore completed.
Students worked for a little over a month to raise the funds, which were to be used to purchase one tree for Yamagucchi Park. In the end, they raised $217.
On Tuesday May 28, the students walked to Yamagucchi Park where they were delighted to discover that their money was able to purchase two trees and three berry bushes thanks to the generosity of the Haines family at Pagosa Feed and Nursery. These trees and bushes are fruit bearing and will be a beautiful addition to the park and provide food to future visitors.
Each class was able to help plant one tree or bush with the assistance and instruction of the Town of Pagosa Springs Parks and Recreation staff. Students learned about what type of plant they were planting and enjoyed a little botany class as well.
The biggest surprise of the day was a special visit by Guch Yamaguchi. The students were able to thank him for his service to their country and show him the wonderful work they had completed.
The students would like to thank the Town of Pagosa Springs Parks and Recreation Department for their help, Pagosa Feed and Nursery for assisting with the purchase of the plants, their teachers for project coordination and their families and friends for chipping in quarters for chores.
