Community rallies around Brooksville school's campus beautification program

BROOKSVILLE, Fla. - A Brooksville school has created a program to help students and parents take pride in their school by beautifying the campus. The Grow the Grove project is what's right with Tampa Bay.

Pine Grove Elementary School is getting a makeover thanks to community partners like the Hardy Real Estate Team. 

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"We want to give back to the schools and have the campus be somewhere teachers are proud to come to work and kids are proud to come to school at," said Ross Hardy. 

Hundreds of trees are being planted to spruce up the school's courtyard and grounds as part of Grow the Grove, the yearlong school effort to beautify the campus.

"We're looking at getting our campus cleaned up," said principal Thomas Kalament. "We want to grow our campus, both physically and mentally with our students." 

Pine Grove assistant principal Natasha Saavedra said help from the community and from parents has been crucial to making the project a success.

"Yeah, we couldn't do this without our families and our teachers so we are very grateful," she said.

About 50 people showed up to help out the school's staff plant the trees. Principal Kalament says the initiative has another goal for students. 

"Trying to instill in them a sense of community service and what it looks and feel like to help others," he said.