Picture a bright orange metal flower mounted on a curving post that is about as tall as a first- or second-grader. Now imagine that each petal of the flower produces its own musical note when struck by a small mallet attached to the post. That flower is part of a “garden ensemble” that also includes musical metal butterflies and a tree with leaves that play different notes.
The School Committee got word at its Oct. 25 meeting that Betsy Peterson is making a generous gift of more than $19,000 to brighten the new Hildreth Elementary School and its playground. The playground will get the tuneful garden ensemble and also an outdoor nine-note xylophone for children to play.
Inside the school, Peterson’s grant will provide a mural featuring the plants and animals of Harvard’s fields and woods, reinforcing a nature theme the school already highlights with images by each classroom door. The mural will be located on the wall at the bottom of the learning stair.
Peterson’s gift is in remembrance of her daughter, Jessie, who died in 2009 when she was struck by a falling tree at the family’s home on East Bare Hill Road. Betsy Peterson was also seriously hurt in the accident. Each year, the Have a Jessie Day 5-kilometer run and walk is held in Jessie’s memory, with the proceeds going to the Jessie Peterson scholarship fund at the Bromfield School.
