October's Featured Work
Bailey's Elementary School
Baileys Elementary School, part of the Fairfax County Public School system, is special because of it's magnet status and therefore grabs a lot of attention and can generate loads of new funding sources...public/private partnerships. In particular, The National Forest Service and CapitolOne both give money and manpower throughout the school year. With that funding the science department is able to hire companies like Classic Stonescaping & Gardens to design, install, and maintain cool outdoor science labs and teaching areas.
In previous years I have been responsible for designing and installing the pond system you see in the pictures below. In addition, I did all of the plant installation in the courtyard. I have also been involved with mounting large panel murals around the exterior of the building that the Baileys students have painted, created new raised planter gardens, designed and installed new landscaping in front of the school, and much more.
This years jobs really consisted of getting all the outdoor science labs in shape for the new 2010-2011 school year. We did everything from weeding, trimming, and mulching in front of the school and courtyard, planting new trees in the courtyard, assembling benches for the kids to use when outside, creating the solar powered turtle wading pond, tilling and amending loads of new planter beds for kids to use this year, creating a new milkweed meadow, continued installation of picket fence with painted pickets, etc. We were there three days and got tons done.
I am currently looking at creating a trellis and solar powered water feature in the Monarch Butterfly Garden. The trellis will be built with 6" steel columns with stainless steel cable stretched between. The overall look will be that of a spider web and will support several types of climbing vines.
I must say though, the most rewarding part of this has been seeing Rachel and Ethan, my children, be excited to show there friends what dad has built over the years. Ethan too will soon be gone from Baileys, but I know many of these projects will be enjoyed for years to come by current and future Baileys children.
Follow link to Baileys Elementary courtyard website
