From July 2022 to June 2023, Keep Knoxville Beautiful has been honored to provide funding for several beautification projects around Knox County. From murals to outdoor classrooms, check out the different projects that are keeping Knoxville beautiful!

Austin East High School Greenhouse

Mrs. Gomez's AP Environmental Science class learned firsthand the care and importance of growing plants. Of the fifteen students, only one had grown a plant from a seed before. Through KKB's beautification grant, Mrs. Gomez's class was able to purchase the materials needed to grow okra, tomatoes, sunflowers, squash, marigolds, and arugula. The students planted the seeds, repotted the plants as they grew, and eventually had their own vegetables and flowers!

Bearden High School Monarch Waystation

The Bearden High School Environmental Club created a monarch waystation so that monarch butterflies will have a habitat that will provide natural resources to sustain their migration. The students stocked the waystation with plants for all pollinators, such as milkweed, which will especially benefit the monarch butterflies and their larvae.

Carter High School Outdoor Classroom

Mrs. Chollman's science students redesigned a barren courtyard at Carter High School into a dynamic and engaging outdoor classroom. The outdoor classroom is complete with planters that the students built themselves filled with flowers and tables with umbrellas where students can work and learn about the natural world around them.

Collier Preserve Native Planting

In 2016, the Collier family donated a parcel of land to Legacy Parks with the hope that it would be kept natural and filled with native plants. While Collier Preserve opened to the public in 2020, KKB's beautification grant helped complete a second phase of the project - filling the area around the parking lot with native plants. KKB, Legacy Parks, and Knox County Master Gardeners hosted a volunteer day in November 2022, where over 600 native plants were planted. The plants included a wide array, so that there will be something blooming in every season.

Dogwood Elementary Trail Tree Cookie Steps

In November 2021, KKB hosted a volunteer day at Dogwood Elementary to plant dogwood trees along the nature trail to create a special natural area that would honor the school's name and legacy. This year, the KKB beautification grant provided funding to increase the accessibility of the nature trail. Volunteers built steps along a steep incline that leads to the tree cookie area, which is an educational tool to teach students how trees grow. Now, the trail is more accessible!

Native Plant Rescue Squad Pollinator Garden

The garden bed in front of the Post Office on N Broadway was uninspired, and then Native Plant Rescue Squad came along! A group of volunteers removed gravel, clay, and trash from the garden bed and filled it with fifty native plants that will provide bees, butterflies, and insects with food. They also planted four native Carolina Buckthorn trees which will provide shade and beauty as they grow.

Rooted East Rainbow Home Pilot Project

Rooted East works to address food justice through community led action in East Knoxville. The KKB beautification grant provided funding to help spruce up their base at the Rainbow Home. Volunteers removed stumps and tree limbs that were next to power lines. With the space cleared, volunteers were able to build a set of garden beds and find a location for their first storage shed. Rooted East hopes that the space will be an inviting space for the community to converse and gather for garden to table dinners, fellowship, townhalls, and fireside chats.

South Knoxville Elementary Mural

Sevier Avenue is a frequently trafficked area, and now motorists, pedestrians, and the students of South Knoxville Elementary will have a new mural to enjoy! Artist Hannah Bingham painted a mural along the south facing wall that captures the beautiful and diverse life of South Knoxville. From bikers to butterflies to the iconic JFG sign, the mural honors everything that makes South Knoxville a great place to live, work, and play.

Spring Hill Elementary School Outdoor Classroom

Through the KKB beautification grant, Spring Hill Elementary transformed a blank courtyard into an engaging, exciting outdoor classroom for students. Complete with a rain barrel, weather station, compost bin, swing, and Japanese bridge, the outdoor classroom is an oasis for both hands on learning and quiet contemplation. The outdoor classroom was created with the help of both volunteers and the school’s hard working teachers.

Thrive Lonsdale Community Gardens

Thrive provides a snack to 240 students every day in their program. Last year, they had thirty dilapidated, rotting garden beds which were not able to meet the demand for fresh grown produce. Through the KKB beautification grant, Thrive Lonsdale installed new metal beds that will be much more sustainable for growing and harvesting produce. The grant also provided new gardening supplies and mulch to assist with the growing.

Thank you to all these amazing schools and organizations for creating these beautiful spaces for the benefit of students, community members, and the environments! We are excited to see what the next round of grant recipients will do! Keep an eye on our newsletter and social media for information about the next round of beautification grants in Fall 2023.

A Year of Community Beautification