Service with a shovel

When the Rotary Club of Rocklin/Loomis Basin decides they want to help “grow education,” they do it literally. On November 8 17 Rotarians, volunteers, and school personnel pitched in to help the new Loomis Basin Charter School landscape get growing.

The volunteers and club members installed plants and a garden to model to students the use of plants with low impact on the earth. The sustainable landscape at the school (located on the Franklin School campus) will be used as a “teaching garden” to educate children on the use of proper plantings that conserve water, conserve energy, require few pesticides, reduce runoff and conserve landfill space, according to Rotary club member and High Ranch Nursery owner John Nitta.

High Ranch of Loomis provided most of the plantings at deep discounts. “This kind of planting restores the soil’s natural ability to absorb and filter water, preserves ecosystem diversity, and minimizes fertilizer use,” Nitta said. United Rentals of Rocklin contributed to the success of the project by discounting the rental cost of an electric spade.

The new charter school, which opened its doors in August after years of planning, is the first IB (International Baccalaureate) program to be offered in the Loomis Basin area. LBCS will eventually serve pupils from kindergarten through the eighth grade.

The 2007-2008 “class” will be Kindergarten through grade 4 students. A grade level will be added each year until the first 8th grade class is established. The school was founded in 2007 and functions as a public charter school which implements the International Baccalaureate Program. More information about the school is available at www.ibo.org/pyp/. Cindy Uptain is the principal of the new school and Paul Johnson is the Loomis Unified District Superintendent.

The Rotary Club of Rocklin/Loomis Basin is one of more than 30,000 Rotary clubs in 165 countries around the globe. With 38 members, the club is heavily involved in education in the area offering mini-grants to teachers and librarians, providing dictionaries for 3rd graders in the Rocklin and Loomis Districts, sponsoring student leadership clubs at Rocklin High School and Del Oro, and offering more than $8000 in scholarships at three local high schools, supporting the Del Oro Stadium Project. The club provides backpacks filled with school supplies to students from needy families and this year will distribute up to 100 Christmas baskets during the holidays.

In the planning stages is a program at Sierra College to help veterans transition into their college programs. It may provide emergency credits at the college bookstore, mentoring, and other equipment and services. Ed Krumwiede of Rocklin is the club president this year.

Pictured: Rotarians and volunteers who worked on the landscaping at the Loomis Basin Charter School: Lee Cendaño, Jerry Nihen, Susan Kolb, Scott Lillibridge, Randy Thomson, Ray Spadoni, Ed Krumwiede, Paul Johnson, Rob Kolb, Chris Angel (Loomis School District Head Groundskeeper), Ray Ward, Alyssa Ward, Cindy Uptain, John Nitta, Tony Freguso, Sarah Nitta, and Cruz Montano. Tony & Cruz are Loomis School District maintenance employees.

For further information about this project or Rotary contact:

Larry Kavanaugh 632-1978 larrykav@ssctv.net or

Ed Krumwiede 435-2373 ekrum@starstream.net or

John Nitta 652-9261 www.hrnursery.com

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