Moorestown Girl Scouts Lucy Laoteppitaks (left to right), Audrey Stevens and Katelyn Frable arranged painted poppy rocks around the oak tree behind Remembrance Park’s WWI memorial as part of their Scout community project.
Moorestown Girl Scouts Audrey Stevens, Lucy Laoteppitaks and Katelyn Frable expanded Remembrance Park’s memorial garden for their bronze award community project earlier this year.
The three expanded the bed of the garden into the shape of a Trefoil, the Girl Scout symbol.
“In spring 2023, we were looking for ideas for the bronze award, and at the time all the Moorestown troops of Girl Scouts were painting poppy rocks for the World War 1 memorial,” Stevens said. “We then decided to expand the memorial garden and we came here to think of ideas. And we decided we wanted to expand it, and we wanted to incorporate the poppy rocks.”
The project proposal was approved by the township’s parks and recreation and public works departments and the Remembrance Park Revitalization Committee a few months ago. Then it was full steam ahead. Laoteppitaks explained how the three leaves of the Trefoil represent the Scout promise, “On my honor, I will try: to serve God (members may substitute for the word God in accordance with their own spiritual beliefs) and my country, to help people at all times, and to live by the Girl Scout law.’
Stevens, Laoteppitaks and Frable also added five new varieties of plants to the garden, including Golden Carpet Juniper shrubs; winter pansies; creeping evergreens; and red, white and blue perennials. They plan to add red poppies in the spring.
The Scouts also arranged painted poppy rocks around the oak tree behind the memorial. The garden also has an observation platform for reflection. Stevens explained how she, Laoteppitaks and Frable met with Gina Zegel, president of the township’s garden club, to review initial plans and to learn about symmetry and the monument’s focal point.
“Then we decided to revise our expansion plan and we added the Girl Scout Trefoil and the scale … ” Stevens noted. “The whole entire garden is in the shape of the Trefoil.”
The Scouts also added new plants to the garden, including creeping evergreens and red, white and blue perennials.
The three Scouts selected the red, white and blue perennials and creeping evergreens from Flagg’s Garden Center, then prepared and delivered their presentation to the revitalization committee. it was approved by parks and rec and public works, and under the direction of Zegel’s landscape team, blue stone was installed and sod removed to unveil the Trefoil design.
“We worked together to arrange and space the plants evenly before putting them in the ground,” Frable recalled. “Next, we mulched the entire garden plot (and) we added poppy rocks around the oak tree … We plan to continue caring for the garden …
“As you can see, this will be an ongoing project.”
Gene Clark, commander of William H. Snyder Post 42, is proud of Stevens, Laoteppitaks and Frable, and believes it’s key for the younger generation to help take care of Moorestown’s parks.
“I think it’s important that the younger people take ownership of some of the parks in town,” he pointed out. “I’m just so proud that they could come and do what they’ve done.”
If there’s anything that Laoteppitaks and Stevens want the community to know about their project, it’s how much their fellow troops helped.
“All the Girl Scouts helped out; the three of us did all the planting and picked out the flowers, but most of the Girl Scout troops, they all painted poppy rocks,” Laoteppitaks acknowledged.
“I just want people to know that we all contributed to this and it’s going to be a lasting thing,” Stevens offered. “We were thinking that maybe some other troops every year could maybe water it or add onto it.”
To support Remembrance Park projects, including the future addition of signage and solar lighting, visit www.moorestownimprovement.org/store/c2/Shop.html#/.
