Improvement

Project 2017!
Christine
McMullen
Problem:
More often than not many people throughout
adolescence lack social skills, lack the drive to
do well in school, and the interest in the well
being of our community-as well as doing their
part to make it better.
People my age have really bad stress, anxiety,
and overwhelm themselves with all that school
forces on their shoulders.
Because of all these aspects clouding up students
minds and hurting their educational and
personal growth, students begin to build bad
habits and dont reap the benefits of their
youth.
Importance:
This improvement project I think is a very important part of students growth
throughout high school and should be implemented as soon as possible. This is
because this extensive garden will aid our students community and give students an
outlet for the stresses in their daily lives. Also the public student atmosphere would
be beneficial for students social skills and would allow them to do something that
gives them a private place for the high schoolers to be free of schools stress while on
campus.
The goal is that by creating a community environment, I will gives high schools
students of all ages the ability to make an impact on the community and help them
grow as people; broadening their horizons on what they can do. This environment is
essential to adolescents development and can have great impacts and forever
positively influence their growth.
Examples of Problem:
Anxiety:
Salli-Ann Holloway could not breathe. Sitting in her Advanced Placement English class,
she could not stop shaking. Her neck twitched relentlessly. She gasped for air. Her body went
numb. Holloway, 17, rushed to the school nurses office as she had many times before. Panic
attacks had become commonplace for her as the stress of junior year took hold. The nurse
soothed her as they waited for her mother to arrive. This would not be the last time Holloways
illness interrupted her life. Holloway is not alone. About 8 percent of todays U.S. teens suffer
from some type of diagnosed anxiety disorder, according to
the National Institute of Mental Health. And anxiety has been on the rise among children and
young adults since at least the 1950s. School counselors and nurses alike have cited increased
amounts of stress, pressure, social media, and divorce as causes for this surge in anxiety that has
not only affected the teens who suffer but school administrators trying to help their students.
Possible Solution/
Improvement Project Idea:
1. Creating public place for students from all different ages in the high school would be beneficial for
students social skills and would allow them to do something that gives them a private place just for
high schoolers. Creating a school, extensive garden would give students more freedom and
independence which will not only aid their current growth but also their future to.
2. In order to put help students become more involved in the opportunities available to them, I propose
that our school and every other school with the ability, start a public garden, court yard, or even just a
big enough space where high school students can come, hang out with each other, and do their part to
build the garden. It will give students the chance to do their part in their community, it creates a
peaceful place, and gives students the opportunity to build new relationships. This change will impact
the community by allowing students to have a place away from books, rules, and adults, that will give
them a chance to relax, release any anxiety they are feeling, and allows them to be apart of the growth
of their student community. This chance can only take place though through the actions of the students
and their desire for independence.
Step By Step:
In order to make this project a reality it will require a step by step plan and I have developed
three main steps that will lead to this project's success.
1. First, we need to raise awareness about the project and get people interested in
participating. We can do this by offering extra credit or community service if students
attend a meeting about it and become apart of this school wide club. This though will only
get them inside the door, so those that are apart of the project need to be excited and
enthusiastic about its benefits.
2. Next, once we have people interested and willing to do the work we need to fundraise in
different ways in order to get money for the tools, plants, and anything else that we might
need, which we can get through selling snacks, car washes, etc.
3. Lastly, we get to planting and building; we can have the guys focus on the building of
benches or places to sit and a fence to go around the selected area, and girls can focus on
planting and buying everything being used or vice versa depending on the amount of
people available.
After I Graduate:
Now many people might ask how will you keep this
project going after you have graduated, glad you asked.
After I have graduated every leader or person that helps
run and make sure this project will succeed, will pick a
new person to run the program after they graduate but
will always be an incoming senior so they can handle the
pressure and responsibility.
 Example!
A bare courtyard at
Wyandotte High School has
been transformed into a
verdant garden with 25 raised
beds, more than 60 species of
plants, an automatic watering
system, a small pond used to
teach water sampling
techniques, and concrete paths
all constructed primarily
by the students.
Ciations:
"Energy, Recycling, Gardening Projects Green a City High School." Project Learning
Tree. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2017.
"School Gardens." Transformative Education for Sustainability and Greening -
GreenHeart Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2017.
"Benefits of a School Garden." NC Cooperative Extension News. N.p., n.d. Web. 29
Mar. 2017.
https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_gardening.html
 Any
Questions???