School Stories

Five stories of successful school greenhouse projects

Most school greenhouses become cornerstones of larger outdoor gardening initiatives. Whether a parent, teacher, principal, or superintendent drives the process, however, all involved should consider carefully the scope and sustainability of a greenhouse project. Separating startup costs from ongoing costs is helpful; most successful greenhouse programs generate their own ongoing funds through plant sales or sustaining school or grant funds.

Community support is another element of successful greenhouse and gardening programs. Through donations of raw goods (such as lumber, pots, or seeds), volunteer effort and expertise, parental involvement, and financial donations and grants, greenhouses and gardens can sprout into patches of community pride. Sending food home with kids or to the cafeteria, selling or donating plants, and offering thriving indoor and outdoor habitats are powerful elements of community beautification, bonding, and transformation.

Because greenhouses are artificial environments where every factor is controlled, they are ideal for inquiry-based learning. Educators who find ways to collaborate successfully and take time to integrate greenhouse and garden work into the curriculum are likely to enjoy ongoing prosperity. Greenhouse and garden projects that offer innovative ways to meet required educational benchmarks are also more likely to be funded appropriately.

Through the following profiles, discover how other educators and parents have established and continue to operate successful greenhouse and garden programs. Each program is as unique as the individual or school driving the effort, the local climate and bioregion, and the projected educational goals. And take heart. If you choose to initiate a greenhouse and garden program in your school, the possibilities—as the following narratives demonstrate—tend to blossom as you go along.

Crockett Intermediate School - Crockett, TX

In Crockett, a patch of Texas once planted with cotton, John Morgan, Jr. and Maura Roach are reclaiming the earth. As sixth grade science teachers, John and Maura integrate anthropological, archeological, cultural, and environmental studies into the curriculum through Crockett Intermediate's 80-yard by 200-yard Outdoor Learning Center.

Adhering to the folk wisdom of their grandmothers, kids plant potatoes on Valentine's Day. Carrying on the region's agricultural tradition, they plant corn in raised mounds; rows were designed only to facilitate tractor use. In one area of the Outdoor Learning Center, an archeological dig is in progress, and the students have started a small museum of artifacts. Students are also investigating what occupied the land prior to 1930 when the school was built. Did Indians inhabit the area? How did the early pioneers use the land? These types of questions hone language art skills, as kids wrestle with conflicting stories and the subjectivity of historical report.

The Greenhouse: Where It All Begins

This expansive learning environment began in 1986 with the initiative of Dorman Jackson, school superintendent, and $8,000 in startup funds. Modeling the inquiry-based curriculum they preach, the science teachers and administrators visited a school in Fort Worth with an applied-learning greenhouse. John Morgan, Jr. jotted notes, snapped pictures, and asked questions. "In the end," John says, "a lot comes down to trial and error."

For example, when first figuring costs, John didn't factor in ongoing funds for heating and cooling the greenhouse. On a typical August afternoon, the temperature in the greenhouse soars to a blistering 103° F, the vented roof taxed beyond its regulating capacity. Although John now uses large tanks of water, shade cloth, and a misting system to combat the heat, the large interior space makes temperature regulation that much more difficult and expensive. In hindsight, John wishes he had purchased one or two smaller greenhouses rather than the 21-foot by 40-foot freestanding structure he did purchase.

The teachers appreciate the lessons learned and view the entire process as a valuable experience. "The greenhouse is the focus of the Outdoor Learning Center," says Maura. "The hands-on experiences are more plentiful and the kids' interest levels much higher than if they were growing indoors with a grow light."

See How They Learn

In the greenhouse, kids handle plant propagation and overwintering of plants started outdoors. While they are learning how to handle tools, germinate seeds, and grow the basic ingredients of any good Texas salsa, kids are also fulfilling the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) requirements at every turn.

The students regularly dump pencil shavings and cafeteria food waste into the greenhouse compost bins; in doing so they learn how to use and conserve natural materials, a core TEKS requirement. This year they gathered orange pieces and peels from the lunchroom as they explored using citrus oil to control fire ants; this required planning and implementing an investigation, another TEKS requirement. The kids, however, were just trying to save the potato crop. "The greenhouse is just great for problem-solving and real-world learning," says John.

Maura agrees, "Students are not just producing to please a teacher or to make a grade. They are touching the world and a making a difference that they can see and feel."

In addition to developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills, students learn to measure a host of greenhouse variables via thermometers, pH meters, and humidity meters. They have fun along the way by testing companion planting configurations, experimenting with a 20 percent vinegar solution to control weeds, or discovering just how much square footage it takes to grow a watermelon.

Filtering the Past

The Crockett greenhouse will also be supporting an aquaculture system. With the help of recirculating and aeration pumps, water will circulate through a series of fish tanks connected via troughs. The fish tanks will be stocked with minnows and koi, whose waste will feed the chives and lettuce planted in rock wool in the troughs. Kids will learn firsthand the role of wetlands in cleaning and filtering water.

Like the aquaculture system, the Crockett greenhouse and Outdoor Learning Center program is a dynamic work in progress. Through it, the kids constantly filter their sense of history, place, and environmental sustainability. And while the TEKS requirements are met, the kids receive something much more valuable—learning to connect with the land and offer it their healing touch.

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