Students at McKinney ISD are working toward a common goal: raising funds for a "living roof" project on top of Boyd High School.

"A living roof is a roof structure that can sustain and support vegetation and a growing medium," said Adam Emerich,a junior at Boyd and a member of the school's engineering club. "When we came upon this concept we saw a lot of potential for its use as an alternative learning environment, as well as a place for the community. With that in mind, we expanded our idea of a living roof to incorporate new aspects that would boost its usability."

The roof will feature a courtyard-style space with vegetation, seating, a stage and a television screen. LED lighting,  fans, solar panels and drip irrigation will also be included.

Sherri Hurley, engineering teacher at MISD, said the living roof is designed for both students and the community.

"We expect students to use the roof for labs and alternative classrooms, but the community is welcome to use the roof for activities such as concerts, club meetings, [and more]," she said. "McKinney Master Gardeners will be working with Future Farmers of America and PALS to help the students maintain the plants. FFA is also working to grow vertical gardens producing herbs and vegetables for organizations like the McKinney Community Garden. Future generations will be able to follow model and learn from their project to create their own green engineering project."

Emerich said students were challenged by their engineering teacher to leave a legacy, which prompted him and the rest of the engineering club members to begin brainstorming and contemplating ideas.

"Then one day during class, we came across the living roof concept," he said. "We loved the idea, and later proposed it to our engineering club, where the idea became the complex project we have today."

There have been a total of 30 students working on the project, which began as a small idea in October 2014 and quickly grew into a goal in November 2015 when students presented their idea to Boyd Principal Jennifer Pierson. Emerich said 47 mentors helped the students during the design phase of the project.

Emerich said since the initial discussion in October, the students spoke at TEXxSMU, the engineering booster organization received official nonprofit status, the group received its first grant and has raised $60,000 in donations to date.

"Our goal is to leave a legacy and inspire more groups of students in neighboring communities—and throughout the nation—to take on their own projects," Emerich said. "Through the completion of this project, we hope to see the start of a green initiative among students and their peers."

Students are continuing to raise funds for the project. Emerich said in order to complete the project's first phase, which consists of the structure, plants stage and seating, students need to raise a total of $445,000.

Following phase one, students will begin fundraising efforts for phase two, which includes audio/visual components and will cost $175,000.

"The end goal is to have a space that can be used for students to go outside and have class and labs, hold extracurricular events like concerts and movie nights, have a green space where students and community members can learn from, and act as a model to inspire other schools to follow in their footsteps," Hurley said.