On the path to kindness at Westbrooke Elementary

Westbrooke Elementary students now have a beautiful path to greet them when they walk on the campus and toward the front doors.

The Pathway to Kindness is a PTO project spearheaded by co-president Christen Kuhlman, who thought of the idea and shared it with board members Brooke Axtell and Leslie Hacha-Rodriguez. Kuhlman said Principal Alex Reyes gave them overwhelming support to move forward with the project.

“The vision is to have a multi-faceted project that would demonstrate individuality, creativity and kindness from our very own Westbrooke Elementary students, teachers and staff,” Kuhlman said. “The Pathway of Kindness gives the opportunity for our Wildcats to shine, exude school pride and arrive at a fun, inviting school.”

Rocks are available for purchase in a range of sizes and prices. The largest is a Family Legacy Stone for $25 for families who have more than one child attending the school or who want to leave their child’s lasting mark at the school.

It has been a group effort to see this project through. Hacha-Rodriguez drafted documents and obtained an aerial image of the school for designing purposes. Kuhlman said another parent volunteer assisted with the drawings and engineering scope.

“Brooke Axtell fast-tracked the project by using her savvy networking skills by reaching out to friends and family to make the project come in under budget and on time for the start of the 2020-21 school year,” Kuhlman said. “Brooke made several connections with local area companies who were willing to go above and beyond in a pandemic and donate materials as well as countless hours of their time.”

Kennedy Concrete donated more than 50 tons of limestone and 40 tons of Mexican pebble; Precision Concrete and Masonry employees spent hours clearing out the flower beds, laying weed barrier, leveling rock and installing the edging to outline the path; Smokey Valley Stone offered a discount on rocks; and the Ocoee Lowe’s store provided essential materials at cost and helped make the vision come to life, Kuhlman said.

“We are extremely grateful to Kennedy Concrete, Precision Concrete and Masonry, Smokey Valley Stone, and Lowe’s of Ocoee for sponsoring our project and making the vision 2020 for our Pathway of Kindness,” she said.

Several families volunteered their time, too, to tie the project together by unloading pottery, planting hibiscus, unloading rocks from a rented trailer, watering plants, sealing rocks and creating fundraiser collateral.

Westbrooke families and teachers are excited to participate in the project, and the school is hoping to get everyone involved.

“The goal is to have all students, teachers and staff participate by placing a rock in our Pathway of Kindness (approximately 600 painted rocks),” Kuhlman said.

There is no deadline to purchase and paint a rock, but the school already is starting to receive completed rocks and is sealing them to preserve the integrity of the design.

Proceeds raised from the Pathway of Kindness will be used to start another beautification project on the Westbrooke campus.

Currently, the purchase, painting and placement of the rocks is limited to Westbrooke Elementary families and staff, but Kuhlman said the school might consider opening the project to the community for participation.

“This is an important addition to Westbrooke Elementary's campus because it demonstrates the amount of school pride each student has for their school,” Kuhlman said. “Seeing all of the creative designs is a small representation of our wonderful Wildcat families.”