Glenvar Grow Greens

Glenvar Middle SchoolGlenvar Grow Greens

Presentation by Paige Stinson

Edited by Ann FajardoOverall Goal:

To provide an opportunity for students to become capable of enriching their own lives and contributing to their community and nation through their construction and gardening skills, food production and preparation, and individual gain in health consciousness.Project Goals:

To expand the existing Glenvar Garden, which consisted of 4 raised bed gardens

To extend the growing season of our crops

Students in Ann Fajardos and Mark Rohrbacks 2nd period Green Math classStudents in Beth Sellers 6th grade science classesJuliette Myers, principal, Glenvar Middle School Jim Bradshaw, assistant principal, Glenvar Middle SchoolBrian Weeks, Construction Manager, Roanoke County Public SchoolsSchool Participants:

Our Green Mentors (Members of the Southwest Virginia chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council): Patrick Donohoe, Architect/Engineer, Virginia TechBrenda Landes, architect, CR Architecture + DesignBarry Martin, Owner Green Home Energy Audits of VirginiaSuzanne Nicewonder, Engineer, Precision Engineering, PCConsultant: Sherri Dorn, extension agent

Community Participants:

5Students help design and build cold frames to cover two of the existing raised beds. This will allow us to plant earlier and harvest later. (Completed March 2011)Plan of Action1. Build Cold Frames

Consult with Green Mentors and extension agent to determine the best location on school grounds for our greenhouse(completed January 2011)Plan of Action2. Build a Greenhouse!

Consult with Green Mentors and extension agent to determine what type of greenhouse will best serve our needs and budgetWe decided a 24 by 48 hoophouse would be the best choice(completed March 2011)Plan of Action2. Build a Greenhouse!

Order a hoophouse kit (completed March 2011)Plan of Action2. Build a Greenhouse!

Prepare the site: Install water, level and grade the earth, spread 6 inches of gravel(completed March 2011)Plan of Action2. Build a Greenhouse!

Design the layout of the interior of the greenhouseBuild 8 raised beds (completed March 2011)Plan of Action2. Build a Greenhouse!

Build the greenhouse!! Students, teachers, administrators and parents will participate in the build on Apr. 5, 2011Plan of Action2. Build a Greenhouse!

Install raised beds inside hoophouse to bo completed April 2011Start planting! April 2011Install shelving and wheelchair-accesible raised garden within the hoophouse to be completed by May 2011Plan of Action2. Build a Greenhouse!

Hoop house greenhouse construction is low-costCold-house succession planting of cold-tolerant vegetables requires no supplemental heatRaised-bed square-foot-gardening technique saves space, maximizes student involvement, reduces watering needs, and maximizes yieldSelf-sustaining in the school setting as a means of teaching multi-disciplinary academic skills through practical applicationSustains the development of civic capability, enabling students to connect what they learn to how they liveSustains opportunities for individual personal growth through higher-level thinking skills, cooperative learning, and problem solving with other students

Our Project is Sustainable!

School-based compostingFundraising through greenhouse productionExpanding gardening effort to involve more teachers/studentsEstablishment of GMS Garden club

Future Proposed Plans:

Mrs. Sellers blog: http://glenvargarden.blogspot.com/Ms. Fajardos wiki: http://gmsgreenmath.wikispaces.com/

Monitor our progress

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GLENVAR GROWS GREENS!