New Greenhouse Opens at NBHS
By Chris Seymour | Correspondent at June 18, 2024 | 6:15 pm | Print
A new greenhouse at New Britain High School will expose students to urban farming and some very valuable hands-on learning.
In fact, over the last two years, students (and teachers) installed the 20×20 structure, which cost about $20,000, but was paid for entirely through grants and partnerships.
“Urban farming is a significant component of our health and wellness initiative and part of our science curriculum,” said Board of Education President Sharon Beloin Saavedra. “At NBHS, having our kids involved in hands-on learning through the building of the greenhouse, landscaping, hydroponics and the marketing aspect is invaluable—so many lessons learned and skills developed.”
Beloin Saavedra added that the NBHS greenhouse is one of three such facilities in Hardware City schools, as a greenhouse was recently erected at Gaffney and one at DiLoreto was recently approved.
According to Sondra A. Sanford, a New Britain High School business educator, the greenhouse— purchased from B.C. Green House Builders, LTD—was paid for entirely through a combination of grants and partnerships. “Carl D. Perkins, Petit Family Foundation, Fuel Up to Play 60, and Perkins Innovation are the grants,” said Sanford. “We have partnered with various organizations such as Urban Oaks, Food Corps, Petit Family Foundation and Farm Fresh.”
Over the last two years, students in engineering, metals and construction courses, along with their teachers, installed the greenhouse, built the wooden grape arbor, designed the interior for hydroponic and aquaponics, and laid pavers inside the greenhouse, according to the Consolidated School District of New Britain Facebook page.
As one might imagine, the facility will have a widespread impact on the education of students at the high school. “Moving forward, the students across content areas, including but not limited to construction, engineering, accounting, entrepreneurship, culinary and science, will be able to use the greenhouse,” said Sanford. “The mission is to utilize the greenhouse as [an] educational learning classroom for agricultural sustainability.”
In late May, NBHS held a “launch” event for the greenhouse, which was attended by Dr. Bill Petit.
At that event, students in Child Development with Little Canes Preschool planted fruits, vegetables and Michaela’s Four O’Clocks flowers to kick off the first planting, according to the school district Facebook page; Little Canes Preschool students also planted strawberries to take home and students in the Academy of Finance met with an entrepreneur of aquaponics to learn about potential careers in agricultural sustainability.
“The high school is currently awaiting a Perkins Innovation Grant that will allow it to implement aquaponics in the green house,” said Sanford. “Currently, we have soil grown plants and herbs as well as hydroponics. [Recently] we had a few students in the construction class put together a small hydroponic unit, which included the specifications for testing the ph level of the water from a rain barrel to see if it was appropriate for the unit.”
Sanford said she met with the Petit Family Foundation in early June “about growing and harvesting 4’oclocks while creating Michaela’s Garden, eventually to harvest and sell our own seeds. Using this process we hope to expand our product to include herbs and vegetables.”
A favorite of Michaela’s—one of Petit’s daughters who was killed in the 2007 Cheshire home invasion—”Four O’Clocks are sturdy, bushy plants with showy red, pink, yellow and white trumpet-shaped flowers,” according to the Petit Family Foundation, which has established several Michaela’s Gardens around the state, including one at Walnut Hill Park. Others exist in Hartford, Bristol, Cheshire and Suffield.
