THOMASTON – On Friday, June 1, Thomaston Grammar School held the first of four dedication ceremonies at 8:30 a.m. for its Learning Locks, program to help celebrate their new fence around their outdoor garden and outdoor learning classroom.

According to Lyn Snow, who teaches fifth grade at TGS, the garden, started in 2009, has evolved into a spectacular space.

Snow said last fall RSU 13 answered her request to fund a new fence around the garden space.

"The old fence was in rough condition and took away [aesthetically] from our beautiful garden," she said. "The district, until this fence project, had not been asked to provide any financial support for the garden. Everything we had done was through generous community/business support, volunteerism, and student fundraising efforts."

Fences are expensive, Snow said. The fence was a large one with an approximately 280 foot perimeter.

"I am so pleased that RSU 13 saw the value in our garden space and made this investment," she said. "The new fence and an old lock got me to thinking. You've heard of love locks, right? Well, I had an idea to dedicate a section of our new garden fence to Learning Locks. My thought is that students, teachers, and the community at large can permanently place a lock on the fence to acknowledge a life lesson, an educational milestone, or in honor of a teacher or fellow student.”

Snow said she is dedicating the fence four times today, to four different groups of students.

Ed Hastings, assistant principal at Oceanside Middle School, cut the ribbon to officially dedicate the Learning Locks section of the fence.

Hastings taught for 36 years at Thomaston Grammar School and has now been an administrator for three years at OSMS. Hasting has served as a teacher, athletic director and assistant principal. He is retiring after this year.

Hastings was asked to cut the ribbon for two reasons: For his long career as an educator, and for a friend of his, Dan Allen, who received the first lock to be placed on the fence.

Allen taught fifth grade at TGS during the 2009/2010 school year and was one of the original teachers who started the garden and outdoor learning center.

"Dan was well respected as both a teacher and a community member," Snow said. "We lost him in 2014 and as a tribute to Mr. Allen we will place the first lock on the fence in honor of his memory."

Snow said it is important to get rid of the keys if a lock is not a combination lock. She provided a basket so they might harvest the keys.

Ainslee Riley, principal at TGS, said she was proud of what the fifth grade had done with the garden and what Mrs. Snow and Mrs. Cushman had done that made it so amazing.

"I had a hard time deciding who my lock would be for," she said. "There were so many inspirational people."

Riley said in her 20 years of education there were many educators who inspired me from elementary right up through the team at the University of Maine who inspired me when I decided to become an administrator.

"I've had a lot of educators who have inspired me," she said. "And the combination of those people is whom I'm dedicating my lock to."

Students and attendees were treated to donuts in the garden as a finale to the ceremony. Snow said the Learning Lock fence is open to anyone, students, teachers and community members who might like to place a lock.