News : VSHS students, AmeriCorps members improve campus landscaping

AmeriCorps Maple 5 and 6 team members work in the rain garden at VSHS.

Maggie Naffiziger, right, and Sarah Gould remove weeds from VSHS rain garden Tuesday.

Last week, Vinton-Shellsburg High School students planted trees around the high school. Working with Mark Pingenot of Trees Forever, the students planted some new trees along the east side of the building, near Second Avenue. They also replanted some trees, replacing young trees that were not growing.

This week, two AmeriCorps teams, Maple 5 and 6, have been assisting with a variety of landscaping projects there. Many spent the day on Tuesday working on the rain garden at the southeast area of the campus. They identified weeds and removed them, making more room for grasses and wildlfowers to flourish.