Environmental sustainability is an underlying theme in the Middle School science curriculum, which has included a plant unit for many years. This year Ms. Shannon and Mrs. Dolan will be working with the 7th grade to grow food for the school with new Tower Gardens, which were funded through a faculty innovation grant. This hydroponic gardening method triples the speed of growth versus outside, while using 10% of the water and space. There is less mess, hassle and cleanup as soil is not necessary, and the produce grown is fresh, delicious, and herbicide and pesticide free. These systems will allow the 7th graders to work on gardening throughout the year, on both experimental units carried out over several months, and year round food production for the dining hall. Students will be responsible for planting, caring for, and harvesting plants such as parsley, basil and kale, while tracking growth and gathering data in the process.
