By Mark Brown

The grounds at Oak Harbor High School were not the only thing transformed during the all-volunteer Extreme Rakeover held last Saturday. There was also a transformation of spirit, a sense that when we put our minds together and our backs into it, we can make great things happen.

More than 130 people showed up, rakes and shovels in hand, to see what we can accomplish as a community. There were three front-end loaders, several weed eaters, a couple bush trimmers, a power edger, a half-dozen wheelbarrows, and dozens of rakes, shovels, hoes, and weeders. Through most of the day, every single tool was in use.

Take a walk around the school today and you can see what a difference a day can make.

The most powerful tool in the arsenal, however, was not of the mechanical variety. It was the power of an idea and the willingness of a community to put that idea into motion. The sheer force of numbers accomplished in one day what would have taken a grounds person six months to accomplish.

Volunteers, from ages 12 to 70, contributed their labor – and most of them put in a whole day on the job. It was particularly impressive to watch how hard the students worked, with 76 kids providing about 200 hours of volunteer labor.

The transformation stemmed from Lynn Goebel, mom of a high school freshman, who thought the community had to send the message to all students that it’s important to take pride in schools. It’s one thing to say it. It’s quite another to demonstrate it. She found a willing partner in Bob Smithson, the district’s athletic director, who is equally at home on a bulldozer as he is in a gymnasium. Smithson immediately started calling businesses to donate heavy equipment, bark, dirt, and other needed supplies. Just by asking, local businesses provided thousands of dollars in equipment, supplies, and labor.

Maintenance director Bill Armbrust and his crew jumped into the project with both feet, providing equipment and expertise. These guys have 200 acres of grounds to maintain throughout the district and they know the value of what was done. Instead of playing a losing game of catch-up, they now have a fresh starting point at the high school.

This wasn’t just a one-day event, either. It has long-term ramifications. NJROTC students have volunteered to maintain an entire section of the grounds year-round, with other groups also considering the idea. Plus, the improvements should make it more efficient for long-term maintenance.

Saturday’s work party was all about community pride. I was glad just to be a small part of it. And I look forward to the day when this same pride spills over on election day.

Some contributions can be made through hard work. Others can be made only through the voting booth. When we approve a stadium and needed high school renovations, we will have completed the transformation of our schools that began in 1996, a transformation as much about spirit and pride as anything else.

Mark Brown is a retired State Trooper who has lived and worked in Oak Harbor for over 10 years. He is a member of the Rotary Club and on the committee to raise money for the new Memorial Stadium project.