Two projects in the Mehlville School district are competing to win $15,000 in the third round of Monsanto’s Grow St. Louis Contest.
The company is hosting an online vote where 113 St. Louis nonprofits submitted projects in need of funding. Monsanto will award $15,000 to the project with the most votes online, giving $10,000 and $5,000 for second and third places.
Voting ends April 22 and supporters can vote once per day on the Grow St. Louis website.
Point Elementary School would use the funds for grade-by-grade gardens and a cafeteria composting program.
Currently at Point, each grade is responsible for a garden. Math, science and social studies lessons are incorporated into taking care of the gardens.
The project would also add an outdoor greenhouse for year-round lessons in gardening. Students use indoor racks with grow lights now, but classroom space is limited.
The project is in 48th place as of Thursday.
Right behind them, in 56th place, is a proposal for the entire Mehlville School District. Marketing Director Jack Brickey said a parent recommended the idea.
The project accompanies the district’s new tennis courts, which are scheduled to start construction in the summer. Eight new courts will go in at Bernard Middle School.
The Grow St. Louis award would fund a courtside commons area, where people can gather before watching or competing on the court. The area would include benches, landscaping and a brick paver garden.
Pat Keller
12:51 pm on Sunday, April 22, 2012
The tennis courts sound great . I have an idea about the pavers . If they are brick why not charge people around $100.00 or $50.00 and have their name or message ingraved on a brick . People love immortalizing their names or the name of a loved one .You could put your name and the year you graduated, if you went to MHS or Oakville . Just a thought .
Pat Kountzman-Keller
MHS 66'