Student group beautifies school courtyard
By Mia Herdeman, Current Staff
Once a buzzing place, the courtyard at the West Bend High Schools has long been dormant.
But now the WBHS student group Saving Earth Every Day is working to revive the open-air space, which is located in the center of the campus, surrounded by hallways on each side. SEED’s work began in the spring of 2022, in the hopes of turning the rundown area into a place where students can once again gather to learn and socialize.
West science teacher Paul DeLain created the organization more than 20 years ago, in hopes of bringing environmental issues into students’ minds.
Angela Reedell, a West Senior, can account for this, as she is the president of the club. Angela’s mom, Megan, a former landscape designer, helped design the new and improved look of the courtyard.
“So last year we had this meeting and we were like, ‘Okay, we want to do something about this because it does not look good,’ (so) we put flower beds in there, we mulched,” Angela said. “We’ve been cleaning up ever since.”
She mentioned that the woodworking classes made the picnic tables that are in the courtyard. This goes to show that when students gather, excellent things come out of it.
Unlike other clubs, there are no awards for participating. It is simply about preserving the Earth for years to come.
“It’s just helping the Earth everyday,” DeLain said.
In SEED, the members drive the club. They decide how they should preserve the Earth every week. This makes every year different. However, they consistently have a sustainable Thanksgiving and a recycling Christmas. This year the club had an eco-friendly Halloween party that involved using recycled materials.
SEED meets every Thursday after school at 2:30 p.m. in room 1511.
DeLain says that many of the current members inspire him.
“A lot of them are light years ahead of where I was at their age of being aware,” he said. “Thinking about their choices that leave smaller footprints on the planet here.”
Read more about the history of the WBHS courtyard.
(Top image: The WBHS courtyard after SEED’s renovations. Photo taken today by Mia Herdeman, Current Staff.)
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