The courtyard of the East Aiken School of the Arts features a dazzling array of azaleas, vinca, and yellow jasmine. The impressive grounds are the handiwork of PTO volunteer and novice gardener Tammy Duncan.

Three years ago, Duncan noticed that the L-shaped parcel of school land had become overrun with grass and weeds. “I wanted to fix it up a little, but the teachers and some parents didn’t want to see the money being spent on something like that,” she recalls. So she secured a grant through Lowe’s Toolbox for Education. With the help of a local nursery, Duncan formulated a plan and built the garden. Since then, she’s been weeding away. In spring 2010, she helped students plant more than 300 gladiolus bulbs.

During Duncan’s frequent campus visits, her son Benjamin, 13, often helps with raking. Her daughter Lydia, 11, baby-sits for younger siblings Gabriel, 3, and Aivah, 1. Duncan’s husband, Andy, often hauls leaves and weeds to the dump and maintains the irrigation system.

Duncan became active in the PTO in 2004 and served as president from 2006 to 2009. She helped launch an annual carnival, coordinated the holiday shop, and helped start movie nights. She also serves as the birthday baker, providing staff members with treats on their special day.

Principal Mary Robinson calls Duncan a faithful volunteer who has helped the school in countless ways. But Duncan is just happy she has found a way to make East Aiken a better place and be with her family at the same time. Through her tireless beautification efforts, Duncan is also planting other seeds during her children’s formative years. “It’s their school,” she says, “and I want them to learn that they can influence things around them.”