There is a new feature cheering up the sidewalks at Newcastle Elementary School! 15-year-old Eva Gillmore has completed a project to earn her Eagle Rank as Senior Patrol Leader for Scout Troop 13 and Troop 523. Eva led a team of her fellow troops, friends, and family to create a sensory path where kids can learn in a fun and unique way.
Eva and her family’s connection with Placer Land Trust goes back several years. She has been on at least 13 outings with us including guided hikes, organized outings with her troops, and volunteering at the Great Sierra River Cleanup three years in a row. She has also participated in our Preserve Passport Program designed to encourage families to get outside together. Eva even visited the Taylor Ranch Preserve with Gary Wells, our Stewardship Assistant, and his after-school club back when he was a teacher!
Eva’s enthusiasm for the outdoors helped guide her choice of Eagle Scout project. “I did my project at Newcastle Elementary because it is where I went to school,” Eva says. “I chose to do a sensory path so kids can learn in an outdoor place. This allows them to be healthy while learning. I want kids to know they can be physically strong and mentally awake at the same time.”
The path includes a brightly-colored caterpillar where kids can walk along the alphabet, and a rainbow lizard with numbers on its body to help students practice counting. Or they can leap between lily pads to practice their balance and follow along with the yoga poses placed among bright flowers and buzzing bees. There is even a large rainbow world map, and as a final touch, Eva painted a mural of the California Dogface Butterfly after learning from her Scoutmaster that it is the state insect.
Eva’s time spent in the outdoors has clearly made an impact on her. And it’s something she wants to share with others. “Now that the project is done, I am proud and excited that the teachers and students can use the path and take pictures with the butterfly,” she says. “When I go to college, I think I could study plants and animals and learn how to take care of them.”
