Middle schoolers grew flowers for first lady’s garden, casket
A group of students from Sumter Middle School dart in and out of open stores before stopping to take a picture in front of a huge Rosalynn Carter mural in town.
They are all wearing blue and gold Future Farmers of America jackets. Brinson Brock, the adviser to the group, said they grow flowers for Mrs. Carter’s personal garden and butterfly trails, and that some of their varieties are atop her casket.
”I asked the students what they wanted to do and their decision was to come pay their respects in person,” Brock said.
He added that most of the flowers they grew for the former first lady were pollinators to attract bees and butterflies. Carter helped build a network of butterfly gardens to encourage the growth and spread of Monarch Butterflies.
”You need to pay respect to people who have done so much good,” said Jake Dutcher, a 13-year-old seventh grader.
About the Author
Ernie Suggs is an enterprise reporter covering race and culture for the AJC since 1997. A 1990 graduate of N.C. Central University and a 2009 Harvard University Nieman Fellow, he is also the former vice president of the National Association of Black Journalists. His obsession with Prince, Spike Lee movies, Hamilton and the New York Yankees is odd.
