Fifth grade students at Peachtree Academy add lime to the soil to prepare it for planting crops, with the help of Master Gardeners from the Rockdale County Cooperative Extension Office, as part of the annual Panther Day of service on May 6 at the Conyers campus. A third of the crops raised will go to the Food Pantry at Rockdale Emergency Relief, a third to the school for consumption, and a third to sell to raise funds for supplies for next year’s garden.

Students also visited and helped clean Confederate cemeteries in Covington and planted flowers for senior citizens at the Conyers Housing Authority. Panther Day will also be held May 13 at the Covington campus, and involves projects at the Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center and with Special Olympics of Newton County. Contributions raised through Panther Day will fund ongoing science and technology throughout the school, the Accelerated Reader program, and a 72 passenger bus.