Since the fall of 2019, Palmer Trinity School’s (PTS) sixth and seventh-grade students have participated in growing and tending to organic fruits, vegetables, greens, and herbs in both outdoor gardens on campus and in the classroom as part of a hydroponic farming program designed to teach students the science behind the alternative food production method and its benefits.
The program helps middle school students learn first-hand how food grows, where it comes from, and how they can make healthier and environmentally conscious choices.
Palmer Trinity School has partnered with Commodore Hospitality Group by sharing sustainable locally sourced organic ingredients with the community and contributing to minimizing its carbon footprint. Greens and herbs harvested from the school’s gardens are being enjoyed at local restaurants including La Strada in the Grove, Farinelli 1937 and La Rue.
“We hope that our students have opened their minds to farming techniques that not only require less time and money but avoid the use of toxic chemicals resulting in the production of faster and healthier food. Hydroponics is a new way to farm, and maybe with the help of a few Palmer Trinity seventh grade students, it could very well dominate food production in the future,” said Robert Moore, science teacher and department co-chair.
Science teachers taking the lead in the program are Moore and Natalia Zurcher.
For more information about Palmer Trinity School, visit www.palmertrinity.org.
