1. Gardening By Autumn Bridges & Brianna Thompson

2. Action Plan To make Blue Valley West as well as the rest of our community a better place we plan to plant a garden. “Involving students in the process of growing plants and vegetables is not only a great learning experience, it also promotes ownership of food choices and healthy living” (Ratcliffe et al. 2011). Our main goals in starting this garden is to get students involved in the school. While taking care of this garden they are raising fruits and vegetables that can be sold in the cafeteria which is helping their classmates and teachers make healthier choices and for less money. They become involved in their community. By growing trees and other plants they are already adding back to the community but then by selling the things they grow they are further pushing themselves and others to help out and start something. Our final goal is to boost the health awareness at our school and hopefully in making healthy choices now they will be educated enough to make them in the future. The whole purpose is simply to do something simple but effective that helps people and themselves in the long run.

3. Program Implementation The way we plan to start this program is first to gather a group of students interested in our ideas and goals as well as students who can take action with planting and maintaining the garden. Through fundraising and other ideas from the students we will begin to raise money. Once we have started collecting money to get the program running we will get the ok from the district and the principle to use an area of the schools land to create a garden. When approved, we will map out what plants are going to be planted and where. Then we will start to buy the things needed to maintain a garden such as seeds, tools, dirt, gloves, etc. Every few years we will buy new tools adding to our assortment and get rid of any that are damaged. We plan to keep this garden running even after we have left the school by always finding new members to join each year to take over for the people who have left. Planting new different things each year as well as keeping the garden in pristine working order meaning weeds are pulled and the fruits and vegetables are covered from bug harm. These are the main ways we plan to start and run our program.

4. Maintenance We will maintain the garden by creating a club for the garden. They will maintain the garden during jag and before and after school. You don’t have to be in the club to help out you can come a few times and just help out if you’re in the school or even in the community. The people who help out will get community service hours. All you have to do is plant, water, and pick the food. They also pick the weeds and clean up the garden whenever it needs to be cared for.

5. Funding To raise money for our project we will start with taking a majority of the spirit wear money to get the garden started. We will use the money from spirit wear to buy the plants and tools. After the plants have grown we will be able to sell them and raise the money for the school and for the garden. Another way we will be able to raise money is by fundraisers. The club can have several of them. For example carwashes, mowing lawns, and bake sales.

6. Impact on the community This project will help the community by providing fruits and vegetables to everyone. It will help people with not as much more find good nutritious food for little pay. It also is a great way to get out of the house and participate in helping your community. It also helps the community look a lot better and can be better for students in educational purposes providing good reviews on the schools in the community.

7. Impact on the school Our new gardening program at Blue Valley West is great for many things and one of them is the school itself. It helps students work together the raise money and accomplish something without the help of parents or teachers. It teaches them about the importance of the environment and how to give back to the planet as well as the community by gardening and selling plants. It is a great club full of great opportunities to have under their sleeves that could potentially help them in college of the future. They are helping to provide healthy nutritious fruits and vegetables at lunch and to other people in the community.