ECC Students and Faculty Help Beautify Community

The weather might have been gloomy in early October, but that didn’t stop several ECC students from spending the day helping their community. “I’m glad I came,” said Baylee West. “I was impressed by all the involvement that goes into serving the community!”

Multiple individuals, faculty and student-clubs represented East Central College in United Bank’s Project United. The project encourages students of all ages to play an active role in community service.

Students from the ECC Green Committee worked to clean the East Central College roundabout, an oasis for local native prairie plants. According to committee chair Dr. Parvadha Govindaswamy, the plants will require years of special maintenance before they can sit among ornamental plant species. Due to the group’s commitment to local ecosystem preservation, members weeded and raked the plant beds to introduce the plants to the area.

“Engaging students in such endeavors directly impacts their learning and their worldview.” she said. “Service learning as an objective, when paired with opportunities offered by community leaders, is the ideal blending of education and its application. It helps create advocates who can add value to the community they live in.”

The ECC Green Committee is a faculty-staff-student driven organization whose goal is environmental education, awareness and service.

The committee’s service didn’t stop at the roundabout. Students took an additional Saturday to volunteer for the River des Peres Trash Bash, an event where service members collect trash and debris.