IN Peters Township December 2019/January 2020 | Page 76

BOWER HILL
BEAUTIFICATION CREW
MAKES THE SCHOOL
BEE‑UTIFUL!
D
on’t you just love it when
a plan comes together?
Two years ago, Bower Hill
Kindergarten teacher Maria
Piatt had the idea to add a few special
touches to the school building that
was coming up on its 20th anniversary.
Her plan was to make the building “say
primary” and add some color and warmth
that would be welcoming for students as
they enter school for the first time.
She approached the Bower Hill PTA for
some funding to bring her vision to life
and quickly found out that these parents
of the students at the Kindergarten
through 3rd grade building were more
than willing to help.
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PETERS TOWNSHIP
“Our PTA is
some of the most
generous people
you would ever
want to meet,”
said Piatt. “To
say they were
‘supportive’ was an
understatement.”
In fact, some
of the parents
Crew members (l to r) Killen, Hanak, Piatt and McAfoose in front of their
artwork.
event joined the
committee to help.
From there, Piatt was off and running.
the library as they get to the top of the
In just two years, the building now
stairs. A scene from Green Eggs and Ham
features an outside rock garden with
adorns the walls and the iconic quote
positive messages and art created by
“The more that you read, the more things
Bower Hill students
you will know. The more that you learn,
and staff, seasonal
the more places you’ll go,” dominates the
flags and decorations
landing and reminds all who pass by to
for everything from
continue their love of reading.
fall through Flag Day,
Near the kindergarten classrooms, the
and the plans just keep
book theme is Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
coming.
to reflect the basic building blocks of
Last year, Piatt teamed
learning to read that is happening for our
up with Art Teacher,
youngest students.
Nicole McAfoose, and
“We wanted classic and enduring
Speech and Language
characters and themes that everyone
Teacher, Tammi Hanak,
would recognize,” said McAfoose, whose
to head up their biggest
artistic talents are at the heart of the
project yet. With a lot of
project.
hard work and planning,
Deciding on the theme was just the
they have turned the
first step and Piatt quickly found that
Bower Hill stairwells into
McAfoose would have help from Hanak’s
pages from the students’
artistic talents in designing the grand
favorite storybooks.
scheme of the stairwells.
Favorite Dr. Seuss
“Mrs. Hanak came up with the big
characters were the
ideas, she could envision how to make
first to be added to the
the story flow throughout the space,”
stairs in the center of the
added Piatt. “And then Mrs. McAfoose
school. Thing 1 and Thing
would make it all come to life!”
2 help direct students to