Pendleton Elementary School Memory Garden

The original design has been altered over the years to incorporate ideas from Faculty and Students.

The Children's Committee, along with the Plan/Design Committee (Gerald VanderMey, Chair), have worked with Brenda VanderMey of Clemson University's Landscapes for Learning on ideas for the design. Corey Watson, a parent volunteer and Landscape Designer took these ideas and developed the design. In recent years, Sue Watts has worked with students and faculty and the Memory Garden continues to move in a forward direction.

The Pendleton Elementary School Memory Garden is still very much a "work in progress" but has come a long way from it's beginnings.

Pendleton Elementary School held a Groundbreaking Ceremony for it's Memory Garden on Saturday morning October 7, 2006. The garden is being developed to honor the memory of PES teachers, Brenda Baker and Deborah Peebles. An invocation by District 4 Superintendent, Dr. Gary Burgess, was followed by a welcome by PES principal, Kim Nicholson. After flag presentations by Boy Scout Troop 94 and music by the PES Chorus, Dr. Brenda VanderMey, of Clemson University presented an outline of the Landscapes for Learning criteria and explained how the garden would serve as an outdoor laboratory for students as well an ongoing project to foster community participation. Corey Watson and Gerald VanderMey displayed the design for the garden and Brenda VanderMey gave Principal Nicholson a book of original art by PES Students which illustrated their concepts for the Memory Garden. The Garden will be developed with the active participation of Clemson University and local volunteers, but students will be the primary focus in both design and maintenance.
Faculty members shared personal recollections of Ms. Baker and Ms. Peebles, illustrating their exemplary creativity and devotion to both students and fellow teachers.
"They truly understood that students are the flowers and teachers are the gardeners", said Tracie Sweet, a first grade teacher at Pendleton Elementary.
The family of Deborah Peebles broke ground on the project followed by closing recognitions and remarks by Nancy Hellams.
The ceremony closed with a touching vocal rendition of "Remember Me" by faculty member, Bonita Young, as bubbles rose into the air of a beautiful early fall morning. This was a morning to REMEMBER !

Pendleton Elementary Receives Lowes Grant

Herb Knox, representative of Lowes, presented a Toolbox for Education award in the amount of $3500 to Janice Lee, PTO coordinator; Gwen Massey, principal; and Sue Watts, parent and grant writer during a special ceremony at Pendleton Elementary School on Monday, February 16, 2009. The award will be utilized to improve and maintain the school's memory garden, begun in 2006 in memory of Mrs. Debra Peebles and Mrs. Brenda Baker, former beloved teachers of the school. Parents, faculty, students and community volunteers have united in an effort to make the garden a center of learning, performance, enjoyment and celebration for years to come.