Kindergarten teacher Heidi Schembri, Dr. David Trujillo and Janice Trujillo presented Barranca Mesa Elementary School students Wednesday with a new Bobcat mascot sculpture. Courtesy photo

LAPS News:

A team of teachers, parents, students and local businesses worked together all year to complete a campus beautification project at Barranca Elementary School.

In this project, volunteers cleaned up trash, pulled weeds, leveled the ground, spread new mulch, made concrete stepping stones, painted rocks for a border and then asked Dr. David Trujillo, a local artist, to build, mount, and donate a bobcat sculpture as a focal piece for the brick wall. Volunteers also removed the old school sign, sanded, painted and mounted it on the brick wall.

To complete the project, Don Casperson and Brent Nye built and anchored a beautiful wooden bench in the area. Parents, Fusion Sports, Metzger’s and Glover Auto Parts and Repair donated metal materials for the bobcat sculpture.

Barranca’s staff and community would like to thank everyone for their donations, time and commitment in assisting in building this great tribute to past, present and future school and community members devoted to education, school officials said.

The team was composed of the following: Mrs. Schembri and her kindergarten class, Mrs. McGrane and her sixth grade class, Barranca’s Natural Helpers club sponsored by Mrs. McGrane and Mrs. Juliani, Barranca’s YMCA after school program, Barranca parents, Dr. David Trujillo (At Lox Works), Brad and Rose Nyenhuis (Fusion Multisport), Frank Sandoval (Metzger’s Do It Best), Don Casperson (Kiwanis Club), Mr. Brent Nye (Barranca parent), and Glover Auto Parts and Repair.  

It was important to the sixth grade students before they graduate to the middle school, to leave a legacy or imprint on our community and gave the kindergartners a sense of ownership and pride in their school, school representatives said. The teachers involved hope to maintain the area and add new improvements generated by the students each year.