Harvest Park gets a new garden for the fall Harvest Park gets a new garden for the fall (July 08, 2005)

Eagle Scout project beautifies school, shows spirit

When students at Harvest Park Middle School return in the fall, they'll be greeted with a new garden and walkway in the front of the school. This campus beautification is courtesy of Foothill junior Tony Prado who completed the garden as his Eagle Scout project. Prado finished the project at the end of the school year and expects the garden to be entirely in bloom once classes start.

"The garden is right at the entrance, so it really enhances the visitors' view of the school," said Harvest Park Middle principal Jim Hansen. "If this garden was entered in the Fair, it would win a blue ribbon."

Prado contacted Harvest Park after a friend told him Hansen was full of ideas for the school, which was true. The two spoke about the project and together came up with the garden.

"There was a big plot of land that didn't have anything in it and (Hansen) told me there were a lot of kids running around there," Prado said. "I thought having pathways and plants would make it nice and they wouldn't have to shoo people away since it would be a place to actually walk through."

Prado went to work contacting local businesses and was able to gather $700 in donations. He then designed the garden and made sure it reflected Harvest Park's school pride by planting red, white and blue roses - Harvest Park's school colors.

"The garden is in front of school, so I wanted to make it the best for the school," Prado said.

And he certainly achieved that end, according to Hansen.

"He understood exactly what I wanted," Hansen said. "He took what I had in my head and put it in the ground. I feel fortunate that he called me."

Now that Prado has completed his project, he awaits for it to be reviewed before officially becoming an Eagle Scout. -Rebecca Guyon

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