Students at Donegal Primary School (DPS) have been getting their hands dirty - literally - and learning as they dig in the dirt.

As part of a project between kindergartners and their first- and second-grade buddies, the students recently planted flowers at the school, located at 1055 Koser Road, Mount Joy.

Jenna Gorski, who teaches first grade, and Karen Miller, who teaches second grade, often pair their students with kindergartners in Kim Garner's morning and afternoon classes for hands-on activities and fun.

"We were brainstorming ideas for the spring and were reminiscing about our days together at Maytown Elementary and how we always planted flowers around the school and bulbs in the Nature Center," Garner recalled, noting that the project was really a full-circle moment. "I had been Jenna's kindergarten teacher, and Karen had been her second-grade teacher."

The planting project not only beautified the school grounds. It also helped the students apply what they learned in class to a real-world situation.

"Students have learned about plants and livings things in our science curriculum," said Gorski. "On this day, we taught the children how to transplant the greenhouse-purchased marigold plants into the ground. The children first weeded the flower beds. Next, they planted the marigolds, mulched around their flower and finally watered their flower."

The flowers now grace the space in front of the school and the district office.

"We planted almost 100 marigolds," Miller remarked. "The children were careful and respectful of the flowers their peers had already planted as we took turns."

All three teachers commented on the students' behavior, noting that the project required active skills such as planting but also passive skills such as waiting.

"The children were cooperative and patient as they worked together, yet each child was able to plant his or her own marigold," Garner said. "They had to wait patiently for mulch once they let the teacher know the flower was ready. There were many opportunities to practice following directions. Many of the children loved discovering different creatures in the soil and holding and observing them."

Garner noted that the project was possible because of the support of DPS' new principal, John Jahoda. He obtained permission to plant the flowers from the district's director of maintenance

"The DPS PTO graciously donated the funds for us to purchase the marigolds," Gorski said. "We were able to use quality gardening trowels that had been purchased many years ago from our Donegal Foundation through a teacher grant. And Donegal provided three bags of mulch for the children to be able to put the finishing touch on their flowers."