A small idea to clean up part of the Mission Bay High School campus turned into a two-month project bringing MBHS alumni and the Pacific Beach community together and finishing with a Peace Garden for students to enjoy. Well-established shrubbery that housed rodents was removed several years ago, leaving a barren dirt area and was an eyesore for teachers and students at the high school. Andee Hales, MBHS class of 1977, and parent of a MBHS senior, and Carlos Moctezuma, parent of a MBHS freshman and owner of Moctezuma Landscaping, spent countless hours planning the garden, specifying drought-resistant plants and drip irrigation, finding funding and donors, and organizing volunteers.
Working over several weekends in November, volunteers spent their time building, transporting materials, digging holes,and planting plants. George Podhorsky, a former MBHS student, volunteered his time in honor of his daughter, a MBHS student who was killed in 2009. Podhorsky installed the cinder-block bases of the four benches while Steve Soule, a MBHS alum, fabricated four wood bench tops. Luke Saldana, parent of several former MBHS students, picked up two cubic yards of recycled potting mix donated by Village Nurseries and Kristina and Tom Watson (MBHS class of 1978) transported 90 Lantana camera plants. On Saturday, Nov. 12, Andee and Carlos were joined by several more volunteers: MBHS vice-principal Nella Landau; Brad, Elkie, and Kieran Wills; Stacey and Tim O’Neill; Kim Schoettle; Kris Stone; and student Jaedan Ford who dug 90 holes for the plants and put together the tubing and other materials needed for the drip irrigation system. All of the irrigation materials were purchased at Home Depot (Genesee) at a 50 percent discount.
Friends of Pacific Beach Secondary Schools purchased nine tons of decomposed granite at a discount provided by Southwest Boulder and Carlos and his team installed the DG. San Diego Unified School District board president, Dr. Mike McQuary, donated a peace pole to add the final touch. “The Mission Bay High School Peace Garden is a fantastic effort from our close Mission Bay Cluster community,” MBHS principal Ernie Remillard remarked. “Since it is drought-resistant and low maintenance, our Peace Garden will be around for future generations to enjoy.”