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Middle-school students pay homage to Mill Creek founder
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Volney Rogers sixth grader Jazmin Schwab, 13, identifies different plants in a garden planted in the middle school’s courtyard to memorialize the school’s namesake.
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Volney Rogers Middle School students recently finished a garden memorializing Rogers, for whom their school is named and the founder of Mill Creek Park. Benches bearing his name are part of the feature.
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Flowers bloom in the courtyard garden at Volney Rogers Middle School on Youngstown’s West Side. Students planted the garden to memorialize Volney Rogers, who founded Mill Creek Park.
By Denise Dick
YOUNGSTOWN
A courtyard garden at Volney Rogers Middle School memorializes the school’s namesake as well as his passion.
“He’s the person our school is named after, and he did a lot with Mill Creek Park,” said seventh grader Magdelena DeLaPaz, 13.
“He was an environmentalist,” said sixth-grader Jazmin Schwab.
The students in the gifted and honors science classes at the school with teachers Nora McDevitt and Debbi Rogers studied Rogers and planted the garden.
Justin Rogers, landscape architect at Mill Creek Park, helped the students about twice weekly in designing the space. Lutz Greenhouse of Greenford donated the plants, and city resident and schools supporter Tom Anderson helped secure $1,100 from city council for the project, Debbi Rogers said.
The idea for the Volney Rogers Memorial Garden came through students’ involvement in Earth Force, in which they identify a problem in their community and try to come up with ways to address it.
Volney Rogers bought park property when “they were going to cut down the trees,” said Rayvon Parker, 12, a sixth- grader. “He saved the trees.”
Jazmin pointed out the plants selected for the raised flower bed in the center of the courtyard: geraniums, day lilies and lavender to name a few. The plants were selected, she explained, because they grow well in the soil found in the area.
“The trees are dwarf willows and flower in the spring,” Jazmin said. “They grow to 6 or 7 feet.”
Both Jazmin and Magdalena said they enjoyed planting the garden.
Concrete benches engraved with the park founder’s name are another garden feature.
Work will continue this summer to plant another raised flower bed. A rainy spring made planting difficult.
More features will be added next year. McDevitt and Debbi Rogers said plans call for installation of a stone walking path.
“I think it will look good,” Rayvon said.
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