Members of the garden club have worked hard to add life back into the gardens, including planting a tree.
During the school day, many students find themselves wishing they were outside in the sun and fresh air. The average classroom experience often involves sitting at a desk for hours on end under harsh fluorescent lights, which isn’t always the best environment for learning. Several classes don’t even have windows, so the only source of light is artificial. However, sunlight has been proven to have a strong positive effect on physical and mental health, as well as on focus. As a solution to this issue, the garden club has decided to begin a project that will allow students to do their school work outside.
The high school’s gardens have always been an integral part of its history, but have significantly changed over the years. Previously, they have been tended by the French classes, science classes, National Honor Society, and in Sept. 2023, a club was started by a few students to take care of the greenery. Anna Heth, sophomore, is one of the co-presidents of Garden Club and was one of the few who started it. She said, “The reason why I joined Garden Club was to have more skills to know how to garden outside in case I ever wanted to do it in the future.” The gardens are located between the school and the administration office, and are visible from a few science and math classrooms; within the next year, they will experience significant changes.
In April, the club received a $2,200 grant that will allow them to construct six picnic tables and new frames for the garden beds. Each table will hold up to six people and will be accessible for students and classes to use, depending on the weather conditions. Mrs. Pickering, Spanish teacher, is the adult advisor for the Garden Club and helped the students get the grant. She said, “I think it’s great that the kids are getting involved. The students brought this up. They’re the ones that are putting in the work. They’re the ones that want it to look nice and take ownership in it.” For the project, the Garden Club will be collaborating with the Geometry in Construction (GIC) class, which will be in charge of all of the woodworking aspects.
The most impactful part of this is that classes will get a chance to go outside and enjoy the sun. Pickering sent a survey to every teacher at MHS, and 90% of them said that they would take their classes out to the greenery spaces after the tables are constructed. Heth said, “I think people will be able to use the gardens more and go out there to do their work or just kind of hang out around there. I would love to go outside, especially with the classes that don’t have windows, then we could just go out and enjoy the nature.” Looking to the future, the club hopes to eventually plant flowers and vegetables to be used by the Foods classes.
While the exact time of when the construction will take place is currently unknown, Pickering hopes the picnic tables will be ready next school year for anyone to use. This project is an impressive example of the students’ leadership and dedication to helping their community. This is another step in the garden’s unique history, and will likely be an exciting change for both students and teachers.