A laboratory for plant propagation from seeds and starts to viable plants.
Named for a volunteer who made it his second home and nurtured students as well as seedlings, the Greenhouse houses benches, pots, growing media, and water—the wherewithal for students to propagate everything from houseplants to vegetable seedlings. The potential to sell what they grow offers small-business experiences.
The Greenhouse also provides a sheltered location for overwintering tender plants, enabling the Friends to reuse decorative annuals from year to year.
Built in the 1970s, the structure needs repairs and refurbishing as well as an updated heating/cooling to realize its full potential.
►The Friends seek funds to refurbish the Greenhouse and to improve the heating/cooling system.
A Project Example
A May 2010 plant sale held by the students capped a project-based learning initiative that included planting and nurturing seedlings, pricing the plants, and advertising the sale. This series of steps incorporated math, language arts, and science learning.
The project was spearheaded by Master Gardener Donovan Miller, a retiree who brought new life to the long-abandoned greenhouse behind the school and encouraged the teachers to use it as a teaching tool.
Besides raising money for their classrooms and next year’s seeds, the children benefited by “Mister Donovan’s” gentle, patient coaching as a role model for personal conduct and career choices.
