A couple of "special guests" did their part in helping give the overgrown courtyard at Kickemuit Middle School a bit of a clear-out last week.

"Peanut" and "Georgia," two goats owned by Zach Chaves, of Arborscape Tree Specialists in Warren, visited the grounds Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 18 and 19, to do what could be called a little natural yardwork.

The goats were brought in literally to eat up the courtyard as it had been overrun by weeds and poison ivy, making it an enjoyable feast for the animals, but not a suitable place for students and staff to utilize.

According to KMS Parents Teacher Organization member Heidi Vermilyea, the root of the project, believe it or not, stemmed from her watching cartoons with her children when they were small.

She joked, "I heard goats eat poison ivy watching 'Curious George' back in the day with my boys. Then when I posted on 'Around Town Bristol' (social media site) looking for volunteers, other people suggested it as well. I mentioned it to Zach from Arborscape and he was like, actually, I own two goats."

Vermilyea, who refers to herself as a "motivated sixth grade mom," credited KMS sixth grade Math teacher Tim Milisauskas with actually beginning the process of renovating the courtyard. Milisauskas gained the seed money, $1,000, by applying for a Feinstein Foundation grant. Those funds will be used to buy fixtures after it is cleaned out.

Besides the goats, Chaves has made an even greater gesture of volunteering his own time and that of his crew for the rest of the significant clearing of the courtyard.

In addition, the KMS PTO is assisting where possible. The PTO has taken on oversight of the effort, which at the moment is being funded by the grant. Going forward, the idea is to seek volunteers and donations to fund the rest, which Vermilyea said would most likely come from the organization.

The end goal is to not simply clear out the space, but to eventually spruce it up with members of the KMS community taking part.

"The plan is to clear it all out, maybe plant a new tree, bushes, low maintenance plants, mulch, some fun sculptures that move in the wind or rain, add some color. Make it visually appealing for the students," Vermilyea explained. "We have some ideas further into the future to maybe get the (KMS) art department involved and put student artwork out there, but we haven’t worked out those details yet.

"The largest piece is getting it cleaned out."