IWC Project
Project Description: The goal of this project is to create a welcoming entrance for the Cobb County Schools International Welcome Center located at International Welcome Center, 1870 Teasley Drive, Smyrna, GA 30080.
The International Welcome Center (IWC) is home to the district Language Facilitators (interpreters) as well as the International Student Services team. Both groups do a wonderful job of supporting newcomer students and families all over the district. This semester alone the center has seen approximately 450 newcomer students in grades 6-12 visit the location for their English Language Proficiency screening – More than 900 visitors if you include the students’ parents and younger siblings.
The IWC is housed in the historic Rose Garden School, an elementary school which opened in 1953 as a segregated school for African Americans a served as key institution for the Rose Garden Community. The photos below show the school in 1953. This link will take you to more of the history Patterns of Racism in Smyrna, Georgia – Local Historian North & South (wpmarchione.com)
Our goal is to make a visit to the IWC at Rose Garden one of the first stops on newcomer’s path to success. Part of that process is making the building a welcoming and inviting place for all…which includes adding some much needed curb appeal at the entrance door. The pictures below show the entrance.
Amy Perkins (pictured above) leads the center and would appreciate low maintenance plantings (since they’ll need to maintain it on their own) that will give them some color year-round and if possible, some knock out roses to honor our historic Rose Garden School. In addition, to their request, we propose adding at least one “rose motif” bench, cleaning up the area adding edging (under the bench and a pathway leading to the bench/s and mulch and prep the ground for spring planting (on MLK) day and then returning in early spring to do low maintenance planting including knock out roses. The project steps are described below.
Project Steps:
1. MLK Day 2022 (Monday, January 17, 2022) – Transform the entrance (clean up, edging, benches, pavers).
2. Date in March-April (TBD) – Add low maintenance landscaping.
Volunteers: Two ways to participate