Greenhouse Sparks Enthusiasm at Sea Road School

[add_slideshow exclude=”24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32″ caption=”Greenhouse Construction Fall 2008″ align=”right”]”I don’t want to sell this plant. I grew it.”

This comment, by a fifth-grader who had grown very attached to her Christmas Cactus seedling, is a perfect example of the kind of spark the Education Foundation strives to ignite. The students propagated the cactuses for a holiday fundraiser, and this student vowed to buy her own plant back so she could take it home and watch it grow even bigger.

Construction of the greenhouse at Sea Road School in Kennebunk was launched in the fall of 2008, driven by the enthusiasm of SRS principal Kevin Crowley and head custodian Maurice Mercier, leader of the school’s recycling program. The greenhouse was built using specially discounted materials from Tru-North Home Systems; funding was provided by a grant by the Educational Foundation and receipts from the school’s Holiday Fair.

The students have also received lots of community support. The Seacoast Garden Club has been an invaluable help with this project, meeting with the kids repeatedly to help them with the basics of horticulture. And Shelley Wigglesworth, Maine Master Gardener, showed them how a terrarium garden can provide a perfect environment for indoor plants.

Unlike many other Education Foundation projects, this one had no formal lesson plans attached-simply the goal of allowing as many students as possible to be involved with the magic of growing plants. Students learned their first lesson on the needs of plants by talking about which trees behind the school needed to be cut in order to provide the greenhouse with more light.

During the winter, students began horticultural work in earnest, planting seeds for marigolds and zinnias destined to be gifts for Grandperson Day. In an even more ambitious project, students have planted spinach and lettuce as a serious production crop. These edibles ended up on the students’ lunch menu in the cafeteria. The next step is an outdoor garden behind the school so students can start tomatoes, cucumbers, and perennials this winter and transplant them outside after frost.
The students keep notes on the development of their plants to document changes and evaluate each plant’s health and growth. As part of learning about what plants need, student horticulturalists have been introduced to the wonders and benefits of worms and composting.

Kevin Crowley was one of the forces behind getting the greenhouse constructed, and he invites the local community to consider it their resource as well. “The greenhouse will serve as an extension of the current science lab and is available to all 250 students and staff members. Additionally, Sea Road School has worked to establish solid partnerships within the Kennebunk area so that the greenhouse may be a true community resource. We work not just with the Seacoast Garden Club (They have adopted us!), but also with the Kennebunk Parks and Recreation Department. The staff and students of Sea Road will always be grateful for the gift we have been given, and in turn will continue to find ways to share this greenhouse with anyone within our community who may desire to use it,” he said.

Perhaps the best thing about the greenhouse is that the structure will be around for years to come, teaching students how plants are grown for food and pleasure and providing a first-hand demonstration of how our actions affect the plant kingdom. During the winter, students began horticultural work in earnest, planting seeds for marigolds and zinnias destined to be gifts for Grandperson Day. In an even more ambitious project, students have planted spinach and lettuce as a serious production crop. These edibles ended up on the students’ lunch menu in the cafeteria. The next step is an outdoor garden behind the school so students can start tomatoes, cucumbers, and perennials this winter and transplant them outside after frost.

The students keep notes on the development of their plants to document changes and evaluate each plant’s health and growth. As part of learning about what plants need, student horticulturalists have been introduced to the wonders and benefits of worms and composting.
Kevin Crowley was one of the forces behind getting the greenhouse constructed, and he invites the local community to consider it their resource as well. “The greenhouse will serve as an extension of the current science lab and is available to all 250 students and staff members. Additionally, Sea Road School has worked to establish solid partnerships within the Kennebunk area so that the greenhouse may be a true community resource. We work not just with the Seacoast Garden Club (They have adopted us!), but also with the Kennebunk Parks and Recreation Department. The staff and students of Sea Road will always be grateful for the gift we have been given, and in turn will continue to find ways to share this greenhouse with anyone within our community who may desire to use it,” he said.

Perhaps the best thing about the greenhouse is that the structure will be around for years to come, teaching students how plants are grown for food and pleasure and providing a first-hand demonstration of how our actions affect the plant kingdom.