Students, staff and visitors to Artman Elementary in Hermitage will notice a difference outside the school for years to come, thanks to Hermitage Brownie Troop 809 of the Penn Lakes Girl Scout Council.

Nine little troopers spent Saturday morning planting 500 tulip bulbs outside the building for their Make A Difference Day project.

"This is really their first community contribution," troop leader Janice Sever said. "There are no flowers here. Tulips come back every year, and everyone can enjoy them."

The Girl Scouts were making aprons to send to Guatemala, but the second-graders are too young to sew, Mrs. Sever said. Flowers will not only spruce up the school: The project ties in with a visit the girls made to a day camp where they learned about botany.

"We're making a difference at our school," 7-year-old Taylor Snyder said. "Since we're planting bulbs, we thought it might make the school look prettier."

Make A Difference Day is an annual event held the last Saturday in October. People all across the country spend the day doing projects to help better their communities.