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Health & Fitness

Community Spirit Lifts the Face of Geneva High School

GHS High Elements program beautifies school with landscaping by alumnus Chad Markuson's LawnBOYZ in conjunction with local businesses creating community kettle of "Stone Soup."

What happens when 148 11-year-olds team up with 50 teenagers to combine their efforts with a landscaper—who happens to be an alumnus of the same School District? A miraculous series of events.

Despite the forecasted 90 percent chance of rain last Tuesday, the High Elements Leadership Program finished its annual service project by landscaping the front entrance of—a project three years in the making.

Chad Markuson, president of Lawn BOYZ and former 2003 GHS graduate, orchestrated the community effort with High Elements Coordinator Gwen Gelfuso. LawnBOYZ generously donated all the labor, which included sprucing up existing areas, as well as bridging their efforts with local companies, Midwest Groundcovers and Lafarge Fox River Stone.

Find out what's happening in Genevawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Midwest’s president, Gary Knosher, made a magnanimous agreement with Markuson to give $500 worth of shrubs to make the design lush and beautiful. Manager Scott Plourde at Lafarge did not hesitate a moment to grant the request for seven outcropping pieces of granite to embellish the newly-planted birch trees for a stunning effect.

In these economic times, the generosities of these three companies revive hope in
community spirit. Like the ancient fable of “Stone Soup,” the moral of how
working together contributes to the greater good of society was exemplified by
such a show of community strength.  (Watch video of JUCCCE Chairperson Peggy Liu recount a version of “Stone Soup” and how it correlates to leadership in modern society at Stone Soup Fable on Vimeo at “vimeo.com/35237887”).

Find out what's happening in Genevawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The fifth-graders from all six Geneva elementary schools planted 240 groundcover plugs and spread mulch under the patient direction of Markuson as part of a culminating service project in the six-week mentoring program.

Delicious custard cups discounted by Kim Elam’s Kimmer’s Ice Cream of St.
Charles were enjoyed as the children cheered for their peers who received
Leader-of-the-Pack awards: Lauren Round for Spanish; Priyanka Sarangabany for
Drama; Lily Cullen for French; Nate Walinder for Television Studio; Zoe Borden
for Scholastic Bowl; Brandon Tschetter for German; Tiera Hamilton for Football;
Ryan Kredell for Junior Artists; and Sydney Nitschke for Glee Club.

The motto of the High Elements Leadership Program is “Be a mentor…Make a difference!”  Seven Geneva schools and four local businesses joined forces together to do just that.

Stone Soup, indeed!

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