School Stories

Edison Environmental Science Academy - Kalamazoo, MI

Determined to incorporate its greenhouse and gardens into the science curriculum, the Edison Environmental Science Academy (previously Edison Elementary) has made great strides in working with students and teachers to realize the benefits of school greenhouse gardening. The school had been plagued by low state test scores and high attrition before it applied to become a Magnet School through the Federal Magnet Grant Project. Edison received $1.5 million over three years. Additional money has enabled the school to partner with the Kalamazoo Wildlife Center and become a premier theme school for environmental education.

At Edison, the greenhouse and gardens are not worked into the curriculum; they are the curriculum. Part of this is a direct result of the work of environmental science technician Julia Kirkwood. Her job is to develop the outdoor infrastructure—in other words, landscape the entire school property. With the help of students, Julia has created a beech and maple tree forest, started an oak and hickory tree forest, grown a swath of native Michigan prairie, created a butterfly garden, bred insects, propagated seeds and flowers, created specialty alphabet and cereal bowl gardens, dug a pond, and designed the soil-based, hydroponic, and aquaponic systems in the 24-foot by 48-foot year-round greenhouse.

The Scientific Method as a Way of Life

This outdoor classroom is used by the entire school. First graders, for example, learn the basics of soil-based greenhouse planting by experimenting with how seeds grow in a variety of media. They also learn how humans use plants such as corn, wheat, rye, herbs, and cotton for food and clothing. "We strive for all of our work to be inquiry based," says Julia. "We focus on the scientific method for everything we do."

This is atypical for an elementary school. "We struggle with a general lack of teacher knowledge," notes Julia, "yet all of the teachers are excited about the environmental theme." Julia has a degree in wildlife biology, and she partners with a curriculum specialist to help the teachers grasp the environmental basics and get a foothold on this radical transformation of their school day.

Water Culture Inquiries

Exploring hydroponics begins in second grade, and becomes more sophisticated in the upper grades. Fourth graders, for example, study how environmental pollutants cause nutrient and light deficiencies in plants. The students devise a system devoid of phosphorus to see firsthand what a plant hungry for phosphorus looks like. They then conduct research to determine what type of pollutant—acid rain being one—creates this result in the natural world.

Hydroponics isn't just for a well-funded theme school. With some basins, PVC pipe, adequate lighting, and a $10 pump, anyone, Julia insists, can create a hydroponic system. "Hydroponics for Everyone" is her battle cry and the title of the book Julia has used to jump-start her own program.

On the heels of hydroponics is aquaponics, which teachers introduce to the fifth graders. Through Julia's carefully built system of water basins connected via planted channels to a 300-gallon fish tank, kids learn how the environment naturally filters wastewater.

Taking the fifth grade work one step further, the sixth graders study stream monitoring and how wetlands act as natural filtering agents through the triad of plants, fish, and fish waste. Throughout the unit, the kids test the water at four locations for nutrients that can be pollutants in a natural waterway, such as phosphates and nitrates. They also test for bacteria, ammonia, and pH levels. The four staggered sites allow the kids to deduce how well plants filter potential pollutants in a river system.

Ongoing Funding

The most expensive aspect of supporting this type of work is paying the heat and light bills for the greenhouse. To keep the infrastructure humming, Julia recommends working the greenhouse projects into the curriculum as seamlessly as possible. "If you show how benchmarks are being met," says Julia, "the administration is more likely to support the work and provide maintenance funding."

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