Churchill Road Eco-patrols and Gold Award candidate Aerryn Rees admire the garden they just planted by the school’s outdoor classroom. Clockwise, from left front: Churchill Road Eco-patrols Cassie Reis, Ben Higbee, Matthew Loftus, Natalie Ryan, Hope Ollivant, Grace Ollivant, Ansel Noe, Girl Scout Aerryn Rees, Briton Boiardi, Jake Yates, Dike Illoh and Lauren Cain.
Girl Scout Aerryn Rees, Madeira School junior, is working toward her Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can receive, by creating a sustainable garden at her alma mater, Churchill Road Elementary School in McLean. With the assistance of Principal Don Hutzel and Churchill’s eco-patrols, Rees began planting the garden on Monday, April 1. She hopes that the edible garden, consisting of broccoli, carrots, cucumbers, kale, lettuce, peas, potatoes, onions and spinach, can be maintained by the school in the years to come. Rees expects the plants to be harvested by mid-May, at which time she will create a recipe book using only the foods from the garden.