Improving the Dirt Patch

 If you google Piedmont High School, the first photo that comes up is a picture of the quad with lush grass and trees, with students congregating and playing on the lawn. Instead, because of recent construction, when students walk on campus today, they are greeted by a patch of dirt.

 The lawn used to be an area where students could meet with their friends between classes, and build a bigger community at our school. Now students often are left crowding into the busy cafeteria. When the bell rings and students flood out of class, another issue occurs. The dirt comes up into the air, getting clothes, shoes, and students dirty. Many students have also tripped because of the rocks in the dirt. This needs to be changed. There are many ways to rid our campus of the dirt patch. According to Principal Sukanya Goswami, the administration wants to drill down and flatten the dirt patch. Although this would give students more room in the quad, I believe having no grass will leave the area too gray.

 Instead, I think the school should plant grass on top of the dirt patch. This would be much more cost-efficient because no drills and machinery are needed to plant grass. If the administration were to pay for machinery, workers, and permits, digging up the dirt patch would cost approximately $30,000. Grass, on the other hand, is much cheaper. According to Lowes, the best type of grass seed for this region would be Tall Fescue grass. The dirt patch is around 4000 square feet, meaning we would need around 40 pounds of grass seed. Home Depot sells 40 pounds of seeds for $80. 

The expensive aspect of this project would be watering the grass. This type of grass needs an inch of water per week. There are multiple methods how to do this. We could install sprinklers, which would be expensive, but make it much easier to water the grass. An alternative option would be to simply hose it down once a week. During the rainy season, even this measure will not be necessary.

Adding grass to this dirt patch will transform our campus. Parents and visitors will be delighted by a grassy lawn when coming to the school. The students will finally be able to gather in the quad. Students will no longer trip when walking to class. Shoes and clothing will stay clean and dirt free. Changing the dirt patch will not only affect students but the entire community. This dirt patch has been ignored and put to the side for years and it is time to change it.