SCHS sophomore Mansi Patel believes that people should be more thoughtful about what they eat, so she created Agriculture Club to use her passion to help improve the community.

“I created the club because agriculture is something important to me, and I think people should be more educated about it,” Patel said.

According to Patel, who is co-president alongside sophomore Logan Ganey, working with the club should give members a bigger picture about agriculture.

“I think it is important for people [to] know…what they are eating and [where] it comes from,” Patel said.

Agriculture Club plans to implement more organic foods into the community by working with Santa Clara District Farms and planting a garden on campus.

The potential garden will be between the D wing and the library, and there will be two plots for plants. The club is hoping to get student volunteers to help maintain the garden year round.

The garden will have various vegetables, such as peas, onions, garlic and beets. Currently, the club is working on a proposal for the garden to submit to Vice Principal of Activities, Facilities, & Communication Erin Brown.  

According to club adviser Pilar Svendsen, the goal of the club is to grow produce at home and at school that could be used to sell in a fundraiser.  

“This is a great opportunity for students to create garden beds, to make produce and to learn,” Svendsen said.

Ganey said the club is a lot of work but is enjoyable. She likes making designs to help promote it.

Sophomore club member Justin Duong appreciates Agriculture Club because it helps with community service hours, and he gets to be around friends. Svendsen was “inspired” by the club and explained that eating right is beneficial.   

“Eating healthy [and] having nutritious food can improve mood, it can increase your sleep,” Svendsen said. “There is a lot of research out there that befriends eating nutritious food, so promoting students to eat healthier will all around benefit them both in school and their personal lives.”

Agriculture Club meets every Wednesday in Ms. Svendsen’s room (B309)