Washougal — Cape Horn-Skye Elementary School has received a $5,000 Lowe’s Toolbox for Education grant to create a Northwest Native Preservation Area at the school’s entrance.
The grant was applied for by boosters for Cape Horn-Skye and was announced in January. In a press release, Jessica Arnold, grant author and Cape Horn-Skye booster, said, “Our goal is to transform what had been a neglected space to create a beautiful and sustainable area that can be a focal point of our school.”
They plan to remove current vegetation and replace it with native trees and shrubs that will require minimal maintenance and survive for a long time. They also plan to place a walkway and benches on the land, to be used as a place to read and enjoy the natural surroundings. Arnold hopes that in the future, the area will be used by many different students for multiple purposes.
“Not only will it be attractive scenery for the school entrance, but it could be a creative writing area for students, and a natural observation area for science,” she said. Mary Lou Woody, principal of Cape Horn-Skye, is equally enthusiastic about the project, saying in the same press release, “Our school and community will certainly enjoy this beautiful new area with benches, native trees and shrubs. We are thankful to Lowe’s for generously supporting this project.”
The project is expected to be completed by early June.
