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Senior project builds support Photo by Bob Pennell Prospect High School seniors Jessica Kraemer, left, and Kary Lenderman brought together students, volunteers and business donors to rebuild their school's outdoor basketball court as their senior project. Prospect students buoyed by community response to basketball court work By VICKI GUARINO PROSPECT -- They started with the notion of bringing the community and its youth closer together. And they figured that everyone in the community could benefit from some sort of recreation area. From that point, Prospect High School students Kary Lenderman and Jessica Kraemer had little trouble figuring out what sort of enterprise to undertake as a senior project. They brought together students, volunteers and business donors to rebuild the school's outdoor basketball court. By the time they finish painting foul lines and installing lights this spring, Kary and Jessica estimate the total value of the effort will amount to $10,000-$11,000. The project has been an immediate success, right from the day a few weeks ago that volunteers from Rogue Aggregate and LTM Inc. finished laying the asphalt. "Later that day kids were shooting on it," says Jessica. "Yeah, and the hoops weren't even in straight yet," Kary says. "That was nice," Jessica adds. "All the hard work pays off." The project was launched last spring, when the girls attended a student leadership conference at the Veterans Affairs Domiciliary in White City. Students were teamed with representatives of community organizations to discuss youth and community needs. During the session, students were encouraged to brainstorm real projects that could answer those needs, says Prospect schools Superintendent Don Alexander. Jessica and Kary, working with a United Way volunteer, decided to do something about the district's crumbling basketball court. For as long as Kary, a forward on the school's basketball team, and Jessica, a point guard, could remember, the outdoor court had been in sad shape. The pavement had crumbled and was patched up to a point where play was just about impossible. "We liked to play on it, but it was hard," says Kary. "It was really pretty dangerous to play on," Alexander recalls. So the girls put together a plan. During the summer they went to Rogue Aggregate and LTM Inc., both of Central Point, for help. The companies readily agreed. Then they found a couple of grant sources and solicited donations. When classmate and friend Greg Bristow died suddenly of cancer last summer, the girls decided to dedicate their efforts and the court to his memory. "He used to like to play on this court, too," Jessica says. They also put together a contract with the U.S. Forest Service. After school started, they rounded up eight students to plant grass seed on 9 miles of abandoned roadway that federal foresters were restoring for elk habitat. The crew earned $500 for the project. Finally, there was the scheduling of volunteers to lay the pavement. Through it all, Jessica admits, she had some second thoughts about the project's completion. "I'd think it's not going to come together, it's not going to happen," she says. Now that most of the work is behind them, Kary has a new perspective on the effort. She says the point of the senior project, a major undertaking required for graduation, is to push students to accomplish more than they thought they could. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA