CULLMAN, Ala. – Community members gathered at East Elementary Friday evening, Dec. 5, for a warm and festive Christmas celebration hosted by the school’s Garden Club. With cookies, hot cocoa and a glowing light extravaganza display in the outdoor classroom, the event marked the end of a busy semester for the young gardeners.
Garden Club Sponsor Leeanna Smith said the goal was to bring families together to showcase the work the students have put into the garden. “Tonight, we just wanted to engage the community. Families can enjoy hot cocoa in the lunchroom, then make their way out to the garden to enjoy our holiday light display.”
This fall, the club tackled a major project of installing a donated waterfall and pond from ProWorks. The upgrade meant relocating the sensory garden, which students handled themselves by digging up and replanting every plant along the fence line. The group also added new flower beds, planted vines along trellises and even created a new mini-pond from their old one. Also, a recent Cullman High School graduate painted a children’s literature-themed mural for the garden.
Students shared their favorite parts of the semester, from digging in the dirt to counting the more than 100 worms they discovered. They also recounted a memorable mishap where a batch of loofahs was accidentally harvested as zucchini and nearly added to the lunchroom salad.
For many students, the simple joy of being outdoors made the semester special. Fifth-grade students Eden Conn and Henley Nicholas shared their favorite parts of the garden club.
Nicholas said, “Garden Club is really nice. My granny is 94, and she has a garden in her backyard. I like to help her with it. It’s also cool to really see the process and how things grow.”
Conn said she enjoys seeing all the plants and the wildlife that thrive in the garden.
The evening wrapped up with families strolling through the illuminated garden, which was beautifully decorated to look like a whimsical wonderland. Fairy lights decorated plant boxes, glittering ornaments hung from climbing plants and friendly inflatable critters were scattered throughout the outdoor classroom.
The students are eager to return to their gardening in the spring semester, with exciting new events to look forward to and the return of the Garden Baby Shower in April.
