The 153 officer candidates in E Company, 3rd Battalion, 11th Infantry Regiment, knew they had their work cut out for them Saturday when they arrived at Mount Olive Elementary School in Fort Mitchell, Ala., for a community service project.

"It was absolutely terrible," Senior Officer Candidate Michael Bettez said. "Everything was overgrown, and my initial reaction was that we didn't have enough time."

Because there were only minimum resources and the landscaping and paint needed care, class president Senior Officer Candidate Travis Wright said it appeared that the school was struggling.

"It is a great school, the outside just needs sprucing up," physical education teacher Carol Newsom said. The school was chosen when the principal responded to the candidates' offer for assistance. "It's an old building. We do have a maintenance staff, but they are overwhelmed."

Newsom has taught at Mount Olive for six years, but this year, the teachers didn't get any money to purchase physical education equipment, she said. For her class, that has meant teaching students in groups because there hasn't been enough equipment.

But that changed last weekend.

Bettez said the officer candidates decided to devote the bulk of their $1,700 budget, which was raised through class dues and donations, to buying more supplies.

Wright negotiated with a third party to purchase six 75-pound boxes of basketballs, soccer balls, hula hoops, tennis rackets and other equipment for Newsom's class.

"It was absolutely amazing," Newsom said. "When the kids arrived Monday, they were so excited. They wanted to play right away."

With nearly 100 percent of the officer candidates participating, the Soldiers took on other tasks that needed to be done like landscaping and painting.

"We planted 10 oak trees and 20 rosebushes," Bettez said. "We mowed at least three acres of grass and filled up 150 large garbage bags of yard debris."

They painted walls, fences and murals of tigers, the school's mascot.

"If you had a contractor come in and do what we did, I would say it was about $8,000 worth of labor," Bettez said.

He and Wright called the project a complete success.

"Words cannot describe how they impacted our lives in just one day," Newsom said. "It was very emotional and almost overwhelming."

That was the intent, said Bettez.

"Soldiers live by Army values, and one is selfless service," he said. "Officers lead from the front, and putting it out there for the community to see is a reflection of what the Army needs to be."

Bettez said he hopes the next class will go back and do more to help the school. Mount Olive is planning a pep rally to honor the Soldiers.