The English Language Learners class decided to make this year’s leadership project one that would bring all types of people, departments and communities together to work on something that would benefit everyone.

     Every other year, ELL juniors and seniors come up with a project and carry it out on their own. If they need a sense of direction or a leader, ELL teacher Travis Mauzey helps.

     “My kids will be splitting up into teams and taking the leadership for this. They will not be responsible for maintaining the garden themselves but being responsible for getting the pieces in place so that it is being maintained — like getting volunteers to help and promote,” Mauzey said.

     The garden is a chance to bring something new to Staley that everyone can become a part of.

     “I’m most looking forward to starting a new tradition that doesn’t involve just ELL, but the school in general,” senior Melissa Dominguez said.

      They decided to make their project happen next to the tennis courts. It all started last year when Mauzey watched a documentary called “Cowspiracy” and came up with the idea of building a garden on school grounds. He then proposed the idea to his class the next day, and they loved the idea of making that their upcoming leadership project.

      The theme for this year’s ELL class is sustainability and the importance of their carbon footprint. The benefit of having a garden is that it allows students to learn patience and working together as a community, he said.

     Mauzey wanted to bring all departments together. He wanted the business and marketing department to help market and promote the garden. The foods department would be asked to help make recipes with the produce being grown to give ideas to the community of what to make.

     “The part I’m excited to be a part of is coming up with recipes that go along with the produce we will be growing,” senior Awin Karim said.

     The sports and clubs would help out by taking a day for team bonding to help pick the weeds and vegetables and water the plants. Life skills students deliver flowers that are donated by another company to classrooms. With the garden ideally, they could help with the whole process such as planting, growing and raising the flowers themselves. The woods and engineering department would be asked to help with building a shed, a fence around the garden and come up with something to trap water and store rain water.  

     On Sept. 28 during Falcon Time, the English Language Learners class headed over to the field next to the tennis courts that would soon become their garden. An employee from Kansas City Community Gardens came to lend the class an extra hand on filling the dirt beds. The students filled the wheelbarrows from a mound of dirt with shovels, while others steered the dirt to the beds. Other students distributed the dirt evenly throughout the beds. The students enjoyed getting their hands dirty and being productive to meet their goal of initiating the garden.

      “I love getting my hands dirty and getting out of my comfort zone of the usual pen and paper work.” senior Ramla Mohamed said.

     They loved the idea of the project being hands-on and spent all of their Falcon Time filling the beds.

     The garden is a chance for the community to come together to make something that benefits everyone.