Plant & Flower Sale a Success!

A huge thank you to everyone who purchased flowers and plants from Skyview PTA last week. This Saturday, friends and supporters from all over the neighborhood arrived at the Harmony Garden at 1pm to pick up their orders. Thank you to our Town Creek neighbor, Taffie Lynn Butters (and family) for organizing this fundraiser for us. All told, Skyview PTA made $900 to put towards our new outdoor classroom!

Curtis Scoggins | The Man Behind Skyview Harmony Garden

Skyview Harmony Garden does not exist without Curtis Scoggins. When Skyview's PTA President first brought up the idea of building a school garden, Skyview teacher Karen Scoggins mentioned that her husband, a prominent local landscape architect, might be able to assist in drawing up a plan. That initial phone call, now over a year ago, snowballed into an enormous volunteer collaboration. 

Scoggins not only created the initial layout, which launched fundraising and community buy-in, but he also made material and labor resources available to Skyview. Scoggins worked tirelessly to lay in the garden and act as project manager on site during construction. He organized deliveries, talked with district approved vendors and was religiously on site to oversee the process of installation. 

Skyview Harmony Garden owes an unending debt of gratitude to Curtis Scoggins. He is the man of the hour and a hero to Skyview Students. Curtis, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Your work on the Skyview Harmony Garden will change the lives of thousands and thousands of children in the Lake Highlands community. Your legacy at Skyview resides now in the bones of the school and the life blood of its students. You are forever in our hearts. Thank you. 

Mr. Scoggins and his beautiful family at the ground breaking.

For more information, 

you can read about Scoggins in the Advocate Magazine.

Ribbon Cutting & Initial Planting Photo Gallery

On Friday morning, 750 plus Skyview students gathered with staff, principals, RISD admins, council representatives and Skyview PTA board members to officially break ground in the Skyview Harmony Garden! After opening remarks and a ribbon cutting, students spent the morning planting their raised vegetable beds. Skyview students had an opportunity to work with community partners and local gardeners in planting vegetable beds for spring and summer harvest. The kids had conversations about soil content, transplanting starts, organic gardening, compost, worm castings and more. Team work was the order of the day and everyone had a great time!

Thank you to our volunteers: Sharon Braxton, Pam Walsh, Samantha Zentner, Sarah Greenman and Jack Greenman. You made this day possible. Thank you to our Principals: Ms. Dodd, Mr. Bortnem, and Ms. Erickson. Your support has been above-and-beyond! And a BIG thank you to our staff liaison, Skyview music teacher Mr. Aeschbacher. A special thank you to RISD representatives Dr. Christopher Goodson, Jean Bono and Marni Kaner who came out in support of the garden today!

A big thank you, as well, to our community sponsors and supporters: Landscape Architect Curtis Scoggins, Exchange Club of Lake Highlands, Forest Meadows Neighborhood Association, Town Creek Neighborhood Association, Girl Scout Troop 7775, Whole Kids Foundation, Rochester Gauges, Fortress Fencing Company, Texas Metal Tanks, Positively Fit Lake Highlands and Pickaperch Realty. Our outdoor classroom would not be possible without your generous contributions!