Class Uses Prize Money To Buy Land

The $12,500 environmental prize that Larry Smith’s Jacksonville Elementary School fifth graders won would buy a lot of pizza and ice cream.

But that would be too easy for a class that won first prize in the national Pledge and Promise Environmental Awards, sponsored by Sea World, Busch Gardens and several environmental organizations.

“We’re going to build bridges and buy a new piece of land!” said Missy Barron, 10.

The land is 10 acres that will link this historic southern Oregon goldmining town’s Woodland Natural Park and Trail to two other parcels owned by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

The class has already invested a lot of work in the project.

“We’ve preserved the trail, we’ve water-sealed the bridge, and we’ve planted nearly 3,000 trees with the help of Washington School, Butte Falls and Prospect,” said Tyler King, 11.