News
ENLARGE
CARBONDALE, Colorado — A new grow dome greenhouse that sprouted up behind Roaring Fork High School this spring — that will serve as a hands-on agricultural science classroom for students starting next month — is set to begin sprouting things of a leafy nature.
Last week, 18 students from the University of Colorado's Invest Program were on hand to help create “lasagna garden beds” inside the dome. A lasagna bed uses layers of green and carbon materials, in this case topsoil and fresh cut alfalfa, which gradually composts within the garden after it is planted.
The geodesic grow dome/greenhouse is a joint partnership between the school and Fat City Farmers, a sustainable agriculture education program started by Michael Thompson, along with Jerome Osentowski of the Central Rocky Mountain Permaculture Institute in Basalt.
The greenhouse will be used during the school year for Roaring Fork High's agricultural biology program, and in the summer to support a planned farm school for those wanting to learn about sustainable agricultural practices.
“Food grown in the dome will go into the school lunch program at RFHS,” explained Illène Pevec of the University of Colorado at Denver's Center for Children, Youth and Environment, who is working with Thompson and Osentowski to organize the effort.
“We still plan to have a farm going outside next summer also, and are still fund raising for that,” she said.
Two events this weekend will be a big step in that direction.
First is a Saturday work day to plant the new garden beds, from 9:30 a.m. until early afternoon. Anyone interested in helping out can just show up at the grow dome, located at the high school just past the intersection of Highway 133 and Meadowood Drive in Carbondale.
Second will be a community potluck to celebrate the completion of the greenhouse project, from 5-8 p.m. Sunday, also at the grow dome. Those attending are asked to bring a dish to share, plus their own plate and cutlery.
“So many local community groups have helped to create this new food growing science class lab in Carbondale, and this is a chance to thank everyone and celebrate,” Pevec said.
Pevec is using the project, as well as similar programs at Yampah Mountain High School and Colorado Rocky Mountain School, as part of her dissertation for her doctorate degree in design and planning.
“We have been able to obtain some grants from CU to bring money into the schools,” she said. “Now that [First Lady] Michelle Obama has launched the Let's Move campaign, we're hoping more federal money may be available.”
This will be the second year for the RFHS agricultural biology program, in which students will be growing food for their peers to consume as part of the school lunch program.
“I think it will be a huge program,” Pevec said. “It's one where the kids can be very engaged in learning about sustainable agriculture practices and how food production works around the world.”
RFHS science teacher Hadley Hentschel said he has about 20 students signed up for the agricultural biology class for this coming fall so far, but he expects that number to increase as students learn that the greenhouse is up and running.
“Last year we had 50 students, partly because we hyped it up,” he said. “The greenhouse is what interested a bunch of the kids, but then we weren't able to build the greenhouses until the end of the school year.”
The program operated with a temporary greenhouse this spring, before funding and other details finally came together to erect the grow dome.
“Now we have a hands-on, applied learning classroom right on campus,” Hentschel said. “Before, it was more theory and a lot of field trips to other places to see how things worked. Now, we can go out do it ourselves, then come back in and figure out what we did right or wrong, and how plants are growing in a particular way.”
The year-round dome will also allow for at least one, and maybe two full crop cycles.
“That will give the kids a chance to see the full cycling of the plants,” Hentschel said.
Some of his students have already expressed an interest in doing independent studies in agriculture, he said.
That bodes well for the other piece of the larger program, establishing a farm school for older students to learn how to grow food and even operate Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) cooperatives.
“That's the next thing we have to try to fund,” Pevec said. “We would like to get some money to start the farm school next summer.”
The program would be modeled after a successful Fat City Farmers farm school program that operated in Woody Creek three summers ago, but had to disband after the school lost its location.
“Some of those students have now been out teaching gardening workshops all over the valley this summer,” Pevec said. “We want to allow for more of that, so that's how this project happened.”
For more information about the RFHS greenhouse project, visit http://www.rfhs-greenhouse.blogspot.com/
Last week, 18 students from the University of Colorado's Invest Program were on hand to help create “lasagna garden beds” inside the dome. A lasagna bed uses layers of green and carbon materials, in this case topsoil and fresh cut alfalfa, which gradually composts within the garden after it is planted.
The geodesic grow dome/greenhouse is a joint partnership between the school and Fat City Farmers, a sustainable agriculture education program started by Michael Thompson, along with Jerome Osentowski of the Central Rocky Mountain Permaculture Institute in Basalt.
The greenhouse will be used during the school year for Roaring Fork High's agricultural biology program, and in the summer to support a planned farm school for those wanting to learn about sustainable agricultural practices.
“Food grown in the dome will go into the school lunch program at RFHS,” explained Illène Pevec of the University of Colorado at Denver's Center for Children, Youth and Environment, who is working with Thompson and Osentowski to organize the effort.
“We still plan to have a farm going outside next summer also, and are still fund raising for that,” she said.
Two events this weekend will be a big step in that direction.
First is a Saturday work day to plant the new garden beds, from 9:30 a.m. until early afternoon. Anyone interested in helping out can just show up at the grow dome, located at the high school just past the intersection of Highway 133 and Meadowood Drive in Carbondale.
Second will be a community potluck to celebrate the completion of the greenhouse project, from 5-8 p.m. Sunday, also at the grow dome. Those attending are asked to bring a dish to share, plus their own plate and cutlery.
“So many local community groups have helped to create this new food growing science class lab in Carbondale, and this is a chance to thank everyone and celebrate,” Pevec said.
Pevec is using the project, as well as similar programs at Yampah Mountain High School and Colorado Rocky Mountain School, as part of her dissertation for her doctorate degree in design and planning.
“We have been able to obtain some grants from CU to bring money into the schools,” she said. “Now that [First Lady] Michelle Obama has launched the Let's Move campaign, we're hoping more federal money may be available.”
This will be the second year for the RFHS agricultural biology program, in which students will be growing food for their peers to consume as part of the school lunch program.
“I think it will be a huge program,” Pevec said. “It's one where the kids can be very engaged in learning about sustainable agriculture practices and how food production works around the world.”
RFHS science teacher Hadley Hentschel said he has about 20 students signed up for the agricultural biology class for this coming fall so far, but he expects that number to increase as students learn that the greenhouse is up and running.
“Last year we had 50 students, partly because we hyped it up,” he said. “The greenhouse is what interested a bunch of the kids, but then we weren't able to build the greenhouses until the end of the school year.”
The program operated with a temporary greenhouse this spring, before funding and other details finally came together to erect the grow dome.
“Now we have a hands-on, applied learning classroom right on campus,” Hentschel said. “Before, it was more theory and a lot of field trips to other places to see how things worked. Now, we can go out do it ourselves, then come back in and figure out what we did right or wrong, and how plants are growing in a particular way.”
The year-round dome will also allow for at least one, and maybe two full crop cycles.
“That will give the kids a chance to see the full cycling of the plants,” Hentschel said.
Some of his students have already expressed an interest in doing independent studies in agriculture, he said.
That bodes well for the other piece of the larger program, establishing a farm school for older students to learn how to grow food and even operate Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) cooperatives.
“That's the next thing we have to try to fund,” Pevec said. “We would like to get some money to start the farm school next summer.”
The program would be modeled after a successful Fat City Farmers farm school program that operated in Woody Creek three summers ago, but had to disband after the school lost its location.
“Some of those students have now been out teaching gardening workshops all over the valley this summer,” Pevec said. “We want to allow for more of that, so that's how this project happened.”
For more information about the RFHS greenhouse project, visit http://www.rfhs-greenhouse.blogspot.com/
