Community members can purchase an engraved brick that will be placed on the memory walk, which is located behind the district’s administrative office.
A brick walk surrounds the butterfly garden that was designed and planted by the district’s gifted class in the fall. Once all bricks have been purchased, the walk will be paved with the engraved bricks.
Commemorative plaques from the former elementary/middle schools and the high school will also be placed along the walk. Clark-Shawnee and Springfield-Clark Career Technology Center (CTC) senior Colton Roberts fabricated the bases for the plaques for the walk.
“Although the physical Possum, Reid, and Rockway buildings are no longer part of our district operations, they represent the rich history that collectively forged the identity of the new consolidated Shawnee Elementary School,” said assistant superintendent Brian Masser. “It is important for the district to create generational bridges to connect the school experiences in Springfield Twp. from different eras, so the values that have historically defined our community continue to guide us.”
The butterfly garden and memory walk project began last school year when John Campbell, gifted coordinator at Clark-Shawnee Elementary, started working with third-grade students who wanted to positively impact the district.
Once they decided on a butterfly garden, the students researched and presented the idea to administration. The students researched the positive effects of having a garden, the best plants and best locations.
“This project became important because of the ownership that was taken from each individual student,” Campbell said. “Students realized the impact they could make on the school and community through this project, and really worked hard to make this happen.”
As the garden developed, the project continued to grow with students and staff looking for ways to commemorate the history of the previous elementary schools.
Aubrey Lee, a current fourth-grade student who has been involved in the project since the beginning, enjoyed the experience and working with her classmates.
“Everyone came together and just worked really hard to get it done,” she said. “Everyone should buy a brick to raise money for our school and to finish the memory walk around the garden.”
Campbell said he hopes the community can see the “pride we take in our past and future” through the combined memory walk and butterfly garden project, which was made possible through a partnership with Natures Own, a local landscaping, design and installation company. He hopes current and future students will have an avenue for science, language arts, social students and math activities that can be conducted based off the butterfly garden.
“We are highlighting and celebrating the history of our past schools while also investing in our current and future student population through the butterfly garden. Not only are we raising money for our project, but we are giving community members a chance to personalize a brick and place it among other bricks to honor, place in memory of, or recognize our Clark-Shawnee community,” he said.
The 4″ by 8″ logo bricks can be personalized with up to three lines of text to honor, celebrate, thank or remember a loved one, family, organization, special occasion and more. People can also add clip art representing Possum, Reid, Rockway, Clark-Shawnee, a butterfly or a heart.
All proceeds from the brick sale will fund the Butterfly Garden and Memory Walk along with commemorative plaques for Possum, Reid, Rockway and Shawnee High School and Middle School.
Bricks cost $75 and will be available for purchase online while supplies last. Mini replica pavers are also available for purchase online for $25 and will be sent directly to you as a piece of history to take home. To purchase, visit https://4everbricks.com/donors/cslocal/.
About the Author
