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10 Rising Hearts: Bringing ideas home from abroad

A student who goes to school in Harrogate has been to Japan and Italy for educational adventures. Now she's using her international experience to make a difference.

Every year J. Frank White Academy on the Lincoln Memorial University campus sends students to the World School Forum. Rachel Harville was a World School delegate to Japan last fall. The theme was food and culture.

"We collaborated with students from 20 other countries apart from the U.S. about food issues and how it affects the different facets of their culture," Rachel said.

When she came back, she worked with other students and the principal her to come up with Project Avalon. It included writing a grant to fund an organic greenhouse for J. Frank White Academy.

"This isn't a one man Rachel show. I have the other World School people who were equally as important and we have a lot of faculty and staff here that are integral parts of Project Avalon," she said.

The Project Avalon greenhouse will be a way to educate students about healthy food. It will also be part of the curriculum at the school.

"All of our students and faculty are going to have a really hands-on experience with the building implementation of the project as well as the sustainability of the greenhouse," she said.

Rachel was further inspired this past summer in Italy as one of 20 Global Citizen Scholarship Recipients. The theme was the Future of Food.

"It was just kind of a hand-in-hand just like a God moment like this was meant to happen," she said.

The food was fantastic and an eye opening example of farm to table. It expanded the vision for the greenhouse.

"We really want to show that food doesn't come from the grocery store. So we really want there to be an appreciation for food and all the work and time that goes into it," she said.

10 RISING HEARTS: Nominate a student who is making a difference

The project will probably not be complete by the time Rachel heads to college, so the group will hand the baton to the next class.

"We're going to have a greenhouse and then an aquaponics system and then an Incan terrace garden below it. So it's going to be a compound," she said.

Rachel said she will stay involved after graduation even as she pursues her goals.

"Hopefully I will be able to get the highest level of education. My goal is to have a doctorate in something eventually," she said.

Rachel Harville is going places. She's a 10 Rising Heart.

We are featuring students making a difference here in East Tennessee in our series called 10 Rising Hearts. These are students who reach beyond their schools and families to help make our community better. To nominate a student, please send an email describing them and their community service to 10Hearts@wbir.com.

10 Rising Hearts

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