Pittston Area Middle School student Trinity DeLeo opened the outside grounds improvement dedication program with the Pledge of Allegiance.
                                 Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch

Pittston Area Middle School student Trinity DeLeo opened the outside grounds improvement dedication program with the Pledge of Allegiance.

Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch

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<p>Pittston Area Middle School Principal Patrick Bilbow, left, addresses the students and staff at the grounds improvement dedication on Friday, April 9.</p>
                                 <p>Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch</p>

Pittston Area Middle School Principal Patrick Bilbow, left, addresses the students and staff at the grounds improvement dedication on Friday, April 9.

Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch

<p>Pittston Area Superintendent Kevin Booth praised students and staff on a job well-done regarding the grounds improvement project.</p>
                                 <p>Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch</p>

Pittston Area Superintendent Kevin Booth praised students and staff on a job well-done regarding the grounds improvement project.

Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch

<p>Student Megan Bentler did the honors of cutting the ribbon on the grounds improvement project at the Pittston Area Martin Mattei Middle School. Left to right: Tiffany Ferentino, faculty, Dr. John Haas, district-wide principal, Patrick Bilbow, building principal, Superintendent Kevin Booth, Bentler, Bridget Brogan, faculty, Ron Moran, faculty. Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch</p>
                                 <p>Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch</p>

Student Megan Bentler did the honors of cutting the ribbon on the grounds improvement project at the Pittston Area Martin Mattei Middle School. Left to right: Tiffany Ferentino, faculty, Dr. John Haas, district-wide principal, Patrick Bilbow, building principal, Superintendent Kevin Booth, Bentler, Bridget Brogan, faculty, Ron Moran, faculty. Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch

Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch

<p>Students, staff, board members, and administration of Pittston Area and of the Martin Mattei Middle School, gather around one of the many trees, flowers, and bushes planted at the school.</p>
                                 <p>Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch</p>

Students, staff, board members, and administration of Pittston Area and of the Martin Mattei Middle School, gather around one of the many trees, flowers, and bushes planted at the school.

Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch

PITTSTON – The grounds at Pittston Area’s Martin Mattei Middle School got a boost from the students when they conducted a beautification program to enhance the building’s appearance for many years to come.

Each year, the students conduct fundraising in order to keep costs down for the end of the year class trip. Since the coronavirus pandemic closed Pittston Area schools down in mid-March 2020, the class trip was shelved for the year.

A pasta and meatball take-out diner fundraiser was conducted last fall adding to the total of last year’s money. With restrictions still in place for gathering at public places, school moderators and students came up with the idea of putting the money to good use.

“Tiffany Ferentino, Kelly Pavalonis and I came up with the idea last year when we had a (take-out) pasta dinner out front when we thought we’d like to make it a little more welcoming for our students,” Bridget Brogan, fellow school moderator with Ferentino and Pavalonis, said. “We decided we’d do a beautification project for the children for when they finally got back to school.”

Rob Rave, of Rave Discount Plant Center, drew up a landscaping design that included the amount of plants and trees the school would need. Rave was secured to do the work on the project as well.

The Middle School’s Life Skills class and Emotional Support class, who have been attending school all through the pandemic, participated in the actual outdoor work, took part in the special program and dedication of the work done on the grounds of the school.

A dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony was conducted on Friday, April 9, at the school.

Taking part in the ceremony were building Principal Patrick Bilbow, district Superintendent Kevin Booth, district-wide Principal Dr. John Haas and students from the Life Skills and Emotional Support classes.

Trinity DeLeo, a seventh-grade student at the Middle School, took part in the outdoor work in preparing and planting the bushes and trees.

“I helped with the rocks and the flowers,” DeLeo said. “It was fun and it was great being outside.”

Principal Bilbow said he was “Patriot Proud” of the students and the effort it took to get the project going and completed. He also complimented the three school moderators for taking on such a project.

Bilbow, a former student of the Mattei Middle School, has been on a crusade for several years to improve the grounds of the campus.

“It’s very ironic the timing of our ribbon cutting and the timing of the return to school by our students,” Bilbow said. “The moderators went above and beyond and they came up with this project to do something that would remembered for these students to see this project for years to come.”

Bilbow’s dream was for the building and grounds to have a “wow affect” when you drove on campus.

“We want people to walk up to this facility and say, ‘Wow, look at this facility, look how much they care about this place,’” Bilbow added. “That was the motivation for the project. I have great pride in this place.”

Superintendent Booth praised the students, moderators and staff for seeing the project to fruition.

“Being the children could not take advantage of going on a class trip, they took the money they raised and put it into the school for their legacy to go on and on,” Booth said. “It’s a win-win for everybody.”

Roseanna Ricotta, Pittston Area School board member, was on hand for the dedication.

“The kids did this, and it’s their project,” Ricotta said. “I think it’s wonderful that the money they raised to go on a school trip, they decided to make their school look good,” Ricotta said. “Anything the kids are involved in to benefit their school is good for me.”