The month of August has been quite exciting for Junaluska Elementary School. Lowe’s Home Improvement partnered with our school through the Lowe’s Hero grant opportunity to make vast improvements to our courtyard, located in the center of the school. Kindergarten students especially use the courtyard during the day as their classrooms open out directly to it. The theme of the project is titled “Driving around the Town throughout the Seasons.” The courtyard has been transformed by Lowe’s employees, volunteering their own time, to depict a road that leads to all four seasons experienced here in Western North Carolina. By integrating reading and science, students will experience literature that shows the changes in nature throughout the seasons. Outdoor chalkboards, picnic tables, painted roadways, birdhouses, and basketball goals are some of the items included in this generous project. They replaced swing seats and sand for the sandboxes in the courtyard. The staff and students at Junaluska Elementary School want to extend a HUGE THANK YOU especially to the wonderful volunteers from our Waynesville Lowe’s and other Lowe’s stores in the surrounding area. Junaluska Elementary School is in the heart of a WONDERFUL community, and the partnership with Lowe’s has made it an even better place to learn, work, and play!

Submitted by:  Ira Hyde, Junaluska Elementary School