Do you have a free compost program in your county? Some counties do, and will deliver the compost to homes for a small fee, so if Pinellas has one, I'd think it would be delivered free of charge to the schools. We have one in Sarasota Co. that is delivered to the parks, and residents pick it up from there. Check with your county extension service, as they may run the program. As for seeds, most of the major seed companies have programs to donate to school programs. I'd start with Park Seed, or Ball Seed (they have growing facilities in FL, or used to). Also, check with Home Depot and Wal-Mart, and they will probably donate seeds. If you're only going to do a small area, you should be able to get enough seeds there. Then there is always the seed exchange right here. When Charley wiped out my gardens, generous gardeners here sent me hundreds of seeds. Check with the extension service first, because they probably have more ideas for you.

I've found with girls, many of them are there for the social aspect in addition to their love of the sport. Unfortunately now, so many parents are pushing their kids to be a top athlete hoping for that scholarship to college. As mom of four kids who play sports, I've witnessed every different kind of parent and kid out there. My oldest (14 y/o girl) has always played sports but is not a gifted athlete. She's a decent player, but initially started playing as a social thing. She loved seeing her friends, as well as playing, but wasn't born with special talent and wasn't totally interested in working hard to develop her skills. She has played lacrosse and soccer since kindergarten, but always in a rec league. It wasn't until this past summer that it clicked that if she wanted to make the team, she'd have to work hard, and while she did (by the skin of her teeth, I'm sure), she's going to have to really work hard to develop her skills and her conditioning to continue to earn a spot on the team. However, the social aspect of being on the team has really been wonderful for her. It really helped her transition to high school, has really made her feel included in something, etc. She also realizes her limitations - she most likely will not make the lacrosse team in the spring. Lacrosse is HUGE here and if you haven't played club, most likely you won't be good enough for the team. She recognized this all on her own and said she still wants to tryout but if she doesn't make it, she wants to focus on soccer and would like to find a spring club soccer team. Unfortunately, she realized this all a little too late. We never pushed her when she was younger as we always saw her participation as mainly a social thing, but I think now she sees the benefits of being ON a h.s. team, and wishes she had worked harder when she was younger. She would never get a scholarship in any sport, and unfortunately, for many (not all) sports in h.s., even though many won't get scholarships b/c of the competition for them, the level of skill on those teams is still pretty high. Maybe someone mentioned this before, but does anyone remember when they used to have intramural sports? I think that is what the schools need. It would be perfect for someone like my dd, who recognizes that she is not a highly skilled player, but still wants to play, still wants to be part of a team, etc. It's too bad intramural sports seems to have fallen by the wayside, at least around here. My experience with my sons is sure to be different. They are both natural athletes and both have the drive and determination to want to go as far as they can. They both play club soccer, and one plays club lacrosse (other plays rec lacrosse and most likely at some point will switch to focusing on soccer and play that year round as he's not big/aggressive enough for lax). For my boys, we've had to seek out better teams for them b/c they got to a point where their skills were being hampered by playing with kids who were either out there b/c their parents made them, or they just didn't have the skill level, making it hard for the better players to continue to develop at their pace. However, by the same token, leaving their friends behind to play at a higher level isn't always what they want to do either. My older son plays basketball on his school team. It was embarrassing to watch his skill level compared to the majority of the team, some who had never played. The coach was making him play the entire game as he and one other kid scored nearly all the points for the team (which really bothered me b/c I HATED seeing the other kids being benched as this was rec and they should all be playing). We asked him if he wanted to play in a better league this year and he was adamantly against it...he said he wanted to stick with his friends. He loved playing with them and didn't care that they weren't a winning team. As his parent, I'd love to see him play more competitively but OTOH, it's not always about that....having fun and being with your friends is also something that needs to be considered (he's only 12). So I can see both sides of this issue. I do think there should be opportunities for any kid who wants to play sports to be able to, but I also understand the nature of JV/Varsity sports and that not all kids can or should make the team, no matter their skill level. Incidentally, someone mentioned track/cross country/swimming as a good place for kids who can't compete for the team sports. A good suggestion....my dd's friend who was cut from the soccer team, instead went out for cross country. There, they accept kids at all levels and let them develop at their own pace. Same with swimming. I'm actually trying to talk my dd into doing swimming this winter (she used to do summer swim team) but she's convinced it's all these fantastic swimmers and doesn't get that those kids aren't on the h.s. team...they all swim for our very competitive club team here. I know she would have fun...I know the coach...and it would be great way for her to keep in shape for spring sports. Interesting conversation and nice to hear people debate both sides without it getting heated!

I guess I too missed how the perceived proliferation of guns, even removed would prevent a knifing. As I said in another thread there's not a "single" solution. I'm curious on this situation as to the life growing up. What, if any, discipline?What was the home life? I have strong beliefs on this and many other things but won't go into it now. Media has its involvement in responsibility of course, albeit unintentional. Certainly many of the school tragedies and foiled plans are based on copycat of Columbine or other. Remember the parachuting hijacker never captured? How many tried to duplicate it shortly afterward? Our much more mobile society where so many people have cars to transport them to and from distances most wouldn't walk makes for a larger target area for crime. Plus the cars can kill people along the way. The "look the other way" attitude of people whether it's shoplifting, gas station drive-off, a suspicious person in the neighborhood or otherwise makes it easier for perps. Face it, burglers don't have to skulk around the back of a house at night anymore. Kick in the front door and walk in like you own the place. Use a baseball bat on anyone who happens to be home. And of course if you DO get caught, what will happen? We'll blame judges and defense attorneys but nobody will lay blame at the feet of the juries who acquit. In the "good old days" we were far more likely to shoot someone entering a home, rustling cattle or raping our children. Today, it's excused as a mental illness. 40+ years ago, before cable TV, the internet, video games and all the other "causes" of crime our community had a teenager stabbed to death. How many deaths we could have prevented if we just got rid of the knives then when we saw the problem. Many drownings and suffocations would be prevented if we got rid of bathtubs, water and pillows. I won't repeat everything from the other thread but suffice to say there's a lot of problems in the world and a lot of causes to the problems but until we start looking in the mirror and around us in our own homes and quit ignoring what stares us in the face, things will continue as they are. Kudos to the one who chose to GET INVOLVED and headed off this near-tragedy, though it's still a tragedy I guess. We all could take a lesson there about getting involved. Open our eyes instead of close them. Though we don't want false alarms to tie up 911 lines for the actual needs, far better to call when you're not sure than to say, gee, maybe I should have.. Which brings up a question... when's the last time you chose to get involved?

I still have them, but only the senior year is reachable. The others are somewhere in the stacks of stuff in the garage. I have always kept the senior yearbook handy because up until a few years ago, we had a reunion every year. I always wanted to go back and jog my memory about everybody. Then it began to taper off until maybe just those who still lived in the area would get together. My DH and I went to the reunions when we still lived in that area. Years went by; we moved away and later moved back. We went to a reunion then, and when we got to the door where it was being held, I looked in and told my DH we must be in the wrong place . . . there was noone in there except old people! There were more reunions to follow before the numbers dwindled to make it impossible, but we had some great ones, including a group cruise for the 50th "follow up." My senior yearbook is for 1942. Sue