H.B. Whitehorne Middle School has four new trees around the school grounds, thanks to donations of money and labor by school parents.
Gloria Machnowski, who heads the school’s Beautification Committee, coordinated the project. More than 200 HBW families made donations for the trees, which were purchased from Barton Nurseries in Edison, which gave the committee a discount. HBW parent Dominic Ferry used his pickup truck to bring the trees up from Edison and helped middle school custodian Camillo DeMartinis to unload the trees at the school.
With help from Pleasantdale Nurseries of West Orange, a Forest Pansy Redbud was planted in front of the school and two Thornless Honeylocusts in the back. A Pink Florida Dogwood was planted by the annex near the new light. Machnowski also planted four coreopsis and four Manatuck daisies, which Cedar Grove Garden Center sold to HBW at discount as well. “One teacher, Mrs. Coreen Onnembo, loved it and sent a thank you note and a donation,” Machnowski says.
Verona’s town government donated mulch to surround all the new trees and flower beds. The town will also plant a town tree by the annex door soon.
