Warwick Valley High School students give back to the community

Warwick - Students from Warwick High School’s Landscape Design class have been working on a landscape project at Winslow Therapeutic Riding Center for its “Pathway of Hopes” by making a place for disabled riders, friends, family, and the community to enjoy the garden of five senses. All the bricks for the pathways are bought by people in the community through Winslow’s “buy a brick” program. The bricks all have the donor’s names on them. Bricks may still be purchased to help finish the pathways. “This gives them real world experience,” said teacher Nancy Colgan, who also is an advisor on the FFA which is how she first learned about the project. “The students take ownership of it. It gives them a sense of inner peace and accomplishment.” The students doing the project range from freshman to seniors. The students are at Winslow first thing in the morning working hard to complete the pathways and gardens. With the help from Rick Miller, owner of Sophisticated Lawns & Landscape Designs, and one of his helpers, Mike Eichner, the students have learned to operate machines that make the job easier. Miller and Eichner also have given them hands on work while taking the time to teach and explain the job to the students. Winslow Therapeutic Riding Center will soon have a beautiful sanctuary that the community helped to build.