Student leaders from Water Valley High School and the University of Mississippi work together to spread rocks as part of a beautification project at WVHS. The project was part of the Rock the Schoolhouse Challenge. UM photo by Mary Stanton.
OXFORD, Miss. – Students at Water Valley High School received an early Christmas present Thursday in the form of a newly landscaped front entrance for the school.
Despite chilly temperatures, members of the University of Mississippi Associated Student Body and Water Valley High School student council spent the bulk of the morning outside, hauling and laying down tarps and decorative rocks near the high school’s entrance.
WVHS’s beautification project was part of the Rock the Schoolhouse Challenge spearheaded by student government associations at Mississippi’s public universities. Earlier this fall, public schools were invited to compete for a chance to interact with college students for a day of community service. Eighteen schools submitted a student-produced video showcasing their school, its students and what they would like to a Rock the Schoolhouse project to accomplish.
Mallory Washington, a member of the WVHS student council, produced the video that described the students’ desire to have a more attractive front entrance.
“We’re a small school and we don’t have a lot of money for campus beautification.” said Washington, 17, daughter of Cayce and Michelle Washington of Water Valley. “In the past, we did the best we could. We painted the front of the school and held several campus cleanup projects, but the front still looked awful.”
When Anna Koshenina, student council adviser, approached the 56-member organization with the Rock the Schoolhouse proposal, Washington jumped at the opportunity to produce a video.
“The junior and senior members of the student council are responsible for the upkeep of the entryway,” Koshenina said. “They have wanted to get rid of the overgrown browning weeds that they jokingly dubbed, ‘The Jungle’ for a long time.”
As a result of Washington’s determination and hard work, WVHS was one of six winning schools in the Rock the Schoolhouse challenge. The school was partnered with the Ole Miss ASB, and ASB leaders not only volunteered their time to help with the landscaping project, but offered to pay for the necessary materials.
“Our students realize that we are part of a larger community and are eager to help others in any way that they can,” said Sparky Reardon, UM dean of students. “I am proud of these students for their time and effort and also for the example that they provide to high school students. We are fortunate to have caring and giving leaders at Ole Miss.”
ASB President Taylor McGraw said the UM team was excited about the chance to interact with Water Valley students.
“It is important to us to provide whatever service we can for the area we live in,” McGraw said. “This partnership goes beyond giving back to the community. We will get a chance to mentor a group of wonderful students, plus get the satisfaction of knowing we helped them make their campus beautiful.”
Koshenina, who worked alongside the 30 students – 15 from UM and 15 from WVHS – agreed. “The initiative, while beneficial to the school, offers these students a rare on-the-job landscaping experience that goes far beyond the classroom, plus a unique opportunity to interact one-on-one with university students,” she said.
After discussing a design, the students joined workers from the Water Valley street department to rip out old shrubs and other debris using power equipment, or by hand. Later, they replaced the old dirt with rocks and small boulders.
Amid the action, Garrett King, student council president, dubbed the work-in-progress a “complete success.”
“We wanted to get rid of The Jungle,” said King, 15, son of Michael and JoAnn King of Water Valley. “It’s nearly gone. This looks better already. When we finish, this whole area will look completely different. This is hard work, but it’s so worth it. We couldn’t have done it without Ole Miss.”
Similarly, Washington described the project as a dream come true.
“It affects the whole outlook of the campus,” she said. “It looks good, and I feel pretty good. It’s amazing what can get done when we make a little effort.”