BRIDGEWATER –Over the past six months, students at Somerset County Vocational & Technical High School (SCVTHS) have been working together to implement and grow a Farm to School program on campus. The project is a multidisciplinary endeavor that is benefiting the whole school community.
SCVTHS received a $9000 grant from the New Jersey Department of Agriculture’s Farm to School program to launch the initiative. Supervisor of Academics Randee Benaksas, Culinary Arts instructors Keith Johnson and Mark Mastrobattista, Agricultural Science instructor Erik Fargo, and Special Education Teacher Mary Kreiss-Papalski were all instrumental in securing the funding for the program.
Students in the Agricultural Science program set up, planted and continue to maintain a group of hydroponic stations purchased from Tower Garden, a firm specializing in aeroponic gardening. The towers, located in a faculty room adjacent to the school’s Culinary Arts kitchen, were planted with a variety of lettuce and herb seeds. Agricultural Science students then maintained the towers, making sure that the lighting, circulation systems, and nutrient levels were optimized for plant growth. Once the plants matured, the students worked with their schoolmates in Culinary Arts to harvest the crop.
The greens made their way to the kitchen where the Culinary Arts students incorporated them into a number of dishes that were served to teachers and to guests at events held at the school’s TradeWins restaurant. Students in the involved programs also attended a Salad Day where they harvested, prepared, and enjoyed the fruits of their labors. Since the gardens produced more than the kitchen could use, some staff members were able to take home a variety of lettuce, greens, and herbs to share with their families.
Science classes also benefited from the gardens. Instructors have been able to have their students engage in experiments that tested different growth mediums, as well as learning about water properties, osmosis, and diffusion.
Mrs. Benaksas is very pleased with what the project has achieved so far, and how it has touched multiple areas of the SCVTHS community. “What makes this initiative so special is seeing student leadership in action at every step” she said. “Our biology and agriculture students took full ownership of setting up and managing our hydroponic Tower Gardens, while our culinary students turned those harvests into incredible dishes. With seed donations from wonderful partners like Wagner Farm in Warren and Martenette Farms in Hillsborough, and the incredible partnership with the Department of Agriculture, this project proves what's possible when hands-on science, culinary arts, and community support come together.”
Representatives from the New Jersey Department of Agriculture (NJDA) recently visited the SCVTHS campus and were able to see the Farm to School project in action. Nicole Broadwater, Farm to School Coordinator for the NJDA, said “We’re excited to see students take the lead in setting up and caring for their hydroponic system. This hands-on approach to learning helps students understand the food system, from the challenges of growing food to the rewards of harvesting it. And when students can take what they grow and use it in their culinary program they experience that connection from seed to plate. That’s exactly what we hope to support through Farm to School Implementation and Sustainability Scholarship.”
Students and staff are excited to continue the project and are in the process of researching new crops to grow and new meals to prepare that will highlight the cooperative nature of their endeavor.
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