California HS students plan to refurbish courtyard
By CHRISTINE HAINES
chaines@yourmvi.com
A courtyard in the center of California Area High School has been unused for years, but a group of students is working to change that.
The honors English 12 class has adopted the 192-by-54-foot space for renovation.
“When I took over the honors English 12 class, I realized this district doesn’t do a senior project,” said teacher Richard Garris.
Garris said senior projects help to build character and give students an opportunity to leave a legacy at their alma mater.
“We have this courtyard that could be a beautiful place, but it’s just sitting there rotting,” he said. “Most teachers just close their blinds.”
While the courtyard isn’t quite overgrown with weeds, it doesn’t have any eye appeal. It’s home to air conditioning units and the old post for a satellite dish and very little else. The honors English students would like to change that.
The students are proposing a site with benches and gardens that can be used by students and staff members for classes, lunch space and other activities. Senior Cheyenne Weld pitched the idea to superintendent Dr. Laura Jacob.
“I just knew we needed to get it done, so I started writing the paper,” Weld said. “I didn’t know we’d need to present it to the school board.”
To read the rest of the story, please see a copy of Saturday’s Mon Valley Independent, call 724-314-0035 to subscribe or subscribe to our online edition at http://monvalleyindependent.com.
