Founded in 1915, Citrus College has been serving our community for 98 years. Citrus is the oldest community college in Los Angeles County and the fifth oldest in the state of California.
And in two short years, Citrus College will be celebrating its 100th birthday. This should not be overlooked.
More than a decade ago, Citrus College student Margaret Lindemood proposed building a Centennial Peace Garden, to recognize the college’s past, present and future.
Now is the time to make her vision a reality.
To make this project a successful one, the college will have to reach out to the community for funding. The members of the Citrus College Foundation could be the main supervisors for this project because they know Citrus College the best.
The Alumni Association, Student Government, and faculty could all be involved in the fund-raising effort.
One major factor that needs to be addressed is who would keep the Centennial Peace Garden running and maintain it. We don’t want to put a bigger workload on the classified staff that works very hard already.
To symbolize Citrus’ past 100 years, the Centennial Peace Garden should be a place where visitors can ease their minds in the beautiful surroundings.
It should include orange and lemon trees and benches to sit in quiet and relax for a while.
A pathway with stones of the history of Citrus’ past would be a nice touch, surrounded by smaller bricks that can be purchased to help fund the foundation.
Birdhouses decorated by the art classes should also be included to welcome the peaceful nature.
The Citrus architect students can design the garden by having a design contest that can involve the entire school.
Biology classes can be involved by researching water resistant plants that will still be beautiful.
These are just a few ideas that we have. The 100th birthday is a special day and something more than a party should be done so it can be remembered long in the future.
