Student remembers his old school

FOLLANSBEE — When it came time for Brooke High School senior to take on a project to earn hours of community service for his school’s honor program, he thought of his old primary school. Levi Moore of Follansbee decided to spruce up the flower garden in front of the school, planting new flowers, laying new mulch, clearing shrubbery that had covered a sign for the school there and repainting the letters. “I thought it would be nice to do something for my old school,” said Moore. The school was never too far from his mind, since his mother, Sue, is a cook there. His father, Harry, is a warehouse clerk for Brooke County Schools. The project did involve a reunion of sorts, however, as it brought him together with Sharon Cuomo, his former first-grade teacher who now teaches at Brooke High School, where she served as his mentor for the project. Chuck Bowers, the husband of Diane Bowers, his fourth-grade teacher, made the wood-covered scrapbook he filled with photos documenting his progress. While working on the garden from April to August, Levi also held two jobs — at the Follansbee Park swimming pool and Weirton Kroger’s — and completed a college English course, for which he received an A. Materials for the project were provided by the school’s PTA and Marty Bartz, Brooke County Schools facilities supervisor. Moore said while working on the garden, he unearthed a time capsule buried there in 1996. Unfortunately, the capsule’s contents had been exposed to the elements and only part of a list naming the pupils involved survived. The garden was planted in 1989 in memory of Richard Baker, whose tenure as a principal there was cut short by a heart attack when he was 47. Moore said he enjoys working outdoors and is interested in pursuing a career as a civil engineer. He is a member of the National Honor Society, Key Club, Health Occupation Students of America, Math Club, History Club, Student Council and cross country team. Rhonda Combs, the school’s principal, said, “When he approached us with the project, we were very excited. Of course it’s nice when former students come back and contribute to their alma mater.”