A simple garden might just be the answer to bringing life to giving kids a new perspective on nutrition.  

Civil Engineering is doing a project offered by Hy-Vee that will give a chance to grow a garden for the youth in our community. The goal is to educate on nutrition and staying healthy for the years to come. Civil Engineering is just starting this process of scouting out the lot and making their designs.

“They get to help kids make better decisions,” Liberty Hy-Vee’s dietitian Rachelle Hochgraber said.  “[It] shows the community that you want to help and give back and create something that youwill be able to utilize year after year.”

The idea originated in other states and now Missouri is choosing to be part of the opportunity.

“It was done in Minnesota and it was a great success,” club advisor Dennis Blochlinger said. “We have the land, why not do it here?”

Students are getting involved in a way that lets them take charge and create something they want.

“I think it’s going to be nice. It’s really going to connect with my ace mentoring when we go to the site,” Senior Ben Wilson said.  “I think it will be a good project for us to do because it’s really going to get us involved in civil engineering out in the field.”

The students are enthusiastic about getting to be involved in a community project and being able to create what they think will benefit notonly the youth, but everyone in Liberty.

“I think it’s really helpful for students and that we get to build our own garden,” Sophomore Riley Evans said.  “[My favorite part is] that they are letting students do the design and letting people pick what they want.”

Hy-Vee will post the blueprints inthe store that all the students created. They will then be narrowed down to three. It will be up to the employees to decide the winning design. No matter which design wins, the students are happy to leave their mark in engineering on the community.

“I think it is really cool as high school students to be able to get involved with the community,” Junior Tori Fowler said.  “[I like that we get to] create something that you will be able to come back and drive by and be like ‘Oh, look! I have something to do with that.’”