Some see him as a modern-day good Samaritan who has committed himself to
helping boost the image of Crieve Hall Elementary School one blade at a time.
Jerry Pradines, president of Greenway of Nashville, a lawn-care service, takes it all in stride. He began mowing the lawn at Crieve Hall about a year ago. Pradines, who grew up in the area, said he was driving by the school one day last year when he noticed how tall the grass was growing. Instead of calling attention to himself by contacting the principal, he instead opted to be discreet. He mowed the lawn and trimmed the hedges without letting anybody know who was responsible for beautifying the property.
"I just thought it would be best to go ahead and start," he said. "And if anybody had a problem, they'd come talk to me about it. That's why I didn't
want to approach anybody because I didn't want to get paid for it."
Crieve Hall Elementary School Principal Stephanie Chatham said several months went by before she was finally able to ascertain his identity. When she did, she was surprised at what she found.
"He was just a young man with a new business and a kind heart when I met
him," she said. "He wasn't what I expected."
His hard work is paying off for the school and causing people in the community to notice as well. Chatham said other principals have even inquired about who is taking care of the lawn.
She said the school is extremely grateful for his efforts.
"He's our guardian lawn mower," she said. "We are very appreciative. The first thing (people) notice is the beautiful lawn, and it makes them want to go to school here."
Pradines said he just wants the exterior of the school to match the good education the students are receiving on the inside.
"I didn't feel the lawn care was indicative of the education the kids are receiving," he said. "We thought through the donation of our services we could make a difference in the community, and people are noticing. Also, it gives Crieve Hall school a better image."
Pradines' business partner, Eric Cook, said keeping up the image of the school is also important to him. He is even supervising a landscape project to plant shrubbery and flowers around the school's sign that sits on the front lawn.
"It's an older school, but you do something like this to the property, it gives the community more of a sense of pride in their school," he said. "You look at a lot of Metro schools, and there's not a lot of money budgeted for maintenance of property."
Shannon Bonte, who has a first-grader at the school, said she is thrilled by what Cook and Pradines are doing. She said their "kind gesture" is making a world of difference at the school.
"It's a pride thing," she said. "We're all very proud of it."
This article appeared originally in The Tennessean.