Lawrence school board reinstates seventh grade volleyball, approves permaculture garden at Free State High School

photo by: Meeting screenshot/USD 497

Lawrence school board member Kelly Jones, left, speaks to the rest of the board about a plan to install a permaculture garden at Free State High School, during a meeting on Monday, Aug. 23, 2021. Board member Paula Smith sits to the right.

After nearly 20 years, seventh grade volleyball is returning to the Lawrence school district.

The school board on Monday approved a plan to reinstate the sport for seventh graders. It was discontinued during the 2002-03 school year because of budget constraints at the time. The sport will pick back up this school year.

The proposal was part of the board’s consent agenda, which allowed the board to consider several items at once without discussion.

Volleyball was cut from the seventh grade athletic offerings during the 2002-03 school year, along with several other sports. Some of those sports were reinstated in 2019, including boys and girls basketball and both seventh and eighth grade cross country, as the Journal-World previously reported.

According to a memo to the board members, recent district budget constraints would not hinder the schools from being able to offer the new programs, and costs would be covered by existing funding to their athletic programs.

The agenda item the board approved included adding seventh grade football as well. However, district spokeswoman Julie Boyle told the Journal-World on Monday that the district’s seventh grade students began participating in football a year ago, with those students playing on the same team as the eighth grade students. She said that the program would continue that way this fall, as opposed to the seventh graders playing on separate teams like some other school districts do.

Free State permaculture garden

The board also approved a student-led initiative to install a permaculture garden at Free State High School, which was originally proposed in the fall of 2020. A permaculture garden focuses on sustainability and growing what is natural to the area.

According to the proposal, the garden will be on the southeast corner of the school’s campus and will include an outdoor classroom area, a native garden and food garden, among other things. Additionally, Evergy Energy donated lumber for the garden beds, benches, tables and a gazebo, according to a memo to the board members.

“Our mission is to create a garden that promotes the three ethics of permaculture: earth care, fair share, and people care,” the students said in their 2020 proposal to the district. “Our garden will provide cross curricular opportunities, hands on learning, and promote diversity in our school and biodiversity on our land.”

The students also said in the proposal that food generated in the garden could be used as fresh fruit and vegetables for the school cafeteria, to supply a food pantry at the school or be donated to outside groups.

In other business, the board also heard a report on the district’s instructional practices, including information on specific strategic initiatives to help students and provide educators with professional development support.

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