Garrett’s gardening gurus

There’s a good chance that waiting under the tree on Christmas morning for several Garrett Junior High students will be at-home hydroponic kits.

While that may not sound too exciting for some, don’t tell that to the two dozen students who took part this semester in the school’s first-ever hydroponics class.

Hydroponics is a type of agriculture or gardening that does not require soil. Instead, plants are grown using water-based nutrient-rich solutions. The students have harvested a bounty of vegetables, plants and herbs over the course of the semester within the school’s cafeteria.

Principal Melanie Teemant said her expectations of the class were not only met but exceeded.

“I’m thrilled with how well this class has been received by the students, and we plan to continue offering it as an introductory course in future years,” she said. “To establish hydroponics as a permanent part of our STEM program, we are actively seeking funding through grants and donations.”

Teemant said next year they plan to introduce Hydroponics II, which will allow students to build on their skills and learn more advanced concepts. Additionally, they are exploring funding options for a greenhouse, which will serve as an outdoor classroom. This space will provide students with more hands-on learning opportunities and further enhance opportunities for students to experience the farm-to-table process.

Last week, during the class’ last harvest of the semester, family members were invited to enjoy a meal made with many of the vegetables and herbs harvested.

“I think it’s fantastic,” said Jennifer Trinkle, whose daughter is in the class. “I think the kids are learning so much about where our food comes from and what it needs. They’re learning patience and what it takes to grow a garden and the science behind it. It’s probably one of the most hand-on and engaging classes they have.”

Regarding the class, her daughter, Emmie Trinkle, said, “It’s fun to see how things grow and how much we have to tend to it.”

Her best friend, Emma Black agreed. “I enjoy seeing how the plants grow and learning about pH balance in the water. It was neat to see how fast the lettuce grew. It’s fun enjoying it all with the class.”

How it all started

This past school year, Garrett’s librarian, Robin Coppola, attended a conference in Reno where one of the items discussed was a hydroponics course from Green Our Planet. Needless to say, it caught her eye. There was a grant offered to cover the costs of everything needed for a school to start a hydroponics course. She applied and the grant was approved.

“Everything is laid at your fingertips,” she said of the program. “It’s phenomenal.”

Just as school started this year, Coppola broke her wrist, which caused concern as to how the newly-created course would get off the ground since she would be away healing for a month. In stepped band teacher Stacy Toal, who had an open first period.

“I just jumped in and started to learn myself because I had not done any of the hydroponic training,” Toal said. “I was catching up while moving the kids forward. It was daunting but I liked how I could start off from the beginning.”

Following her month of recovery from surgery, Coppola returned to the class and now co-teaches it with Toal.

“We were learning at the same time as the kids,” Coppola said.

The class this semester was open to students in seventh and eighth grade. In the future that may expand to sixth grade as well. In all, 24 students participated in the first-ever class. An entirely new batch of students will begin the class from the beginning following the Christmas break. They feel 30 would be the maximum number of students for the course. Garrett Junior High is just one of many in the Clark County School District that offers a hydroponics class.

“This would be hard to do with just one teacher,” Toal said. “We are always doing two completely different things with the students on any given day. It was clear early on that two people would be needed. Having both of us allows a lot of different things to happen at the same time.”

The class is far more than just planting seeds. Students had to give presentations, had assignments, took quizzes, and learned about the science of growing plants and vegetables.

The two said what has made the class even more exciting for the kids is the ability to see the food grow from seedling into something they can eat and enjoy. While the Green Our Planet curriculum provides seeds, the students also had input on what they wanted to grow, which included plants.

“I learned just as much as the kids did,” Coppola said. “That’s one of the fun things about it. We were working side-by-side with the students.”

“For most, they love the class because it is so activity-based,” Toal said. “They’re not just sitting, or writing or on their Chromebook. It gets the kids thinking more about food waste, farm to table, while looking toward the future. Now they know they can grow their own food.”