Glenvar Middle School Presentation by Paige Stinson and Ann Fajardo

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.

To expand the existing Glenvar Garden, which consisted of 4 raised bed gardens To extend the growing season of our crops

 Students in Ann Fajardo’s and Mark Rohrback’s 2 nd period “Green Math” class  Students in Beth Sellers’ 6 th grade science classes  Juliette Myers, Principal, Glenvar Middle School  Jim Bradshaw, Assistant Principal, Glenvar Middle School  Brian Weeks, Construction Manager, Roanoke Co. Public Schools  Mike Blankenship, Head Custodian, Glenvar Middle School

 Our “Green Mentors” (Members of the Southwest Virginia chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council): Patrick Donohoe, Architect/Engineer, Virginia Tech Brenda Landes, Architect, CR Architecture + Design Barry Martin, Owner, Green Home Energy Audits of Virginia Suzanne Nicewonder, Engineer, Precision Engineering, PC Consultant: Sherri Dorn, Extension agent Parent: Kenny Anderson

Students help design and build cold frames to cover two of the existing raised beds. This will allow us to plant earlier and harvest later.

 Consult with Green Mentors and extension agent to determine the best location on school grounds for our greenhouse

 Consult with Green Mentors and extension agent to determine what type of greenhouse will best serve our needs and budget  We decided a 24’ by 48’ hoophouse would be the best choice

 Order a hoophouse kit

 Prepare the site: Install water, level and grade the earth, spread 6 inches of gravel

 The hoophouse kit is here! (Apr. 5)

 Install ground stakes to support the hoops

 The hoops go up fast!

 Attach side supports for the “curtains”

 Build end walls

 Putting on the plastic requires team effort!

 Level out gravel inside and out

 Measure, cut and lay down floor fabric

 Design the layout of the interior of the greenhouse  Build 8 raised beds

 Put raised beds in place

 We just need soil and we’re ready to start planting!

 Install shelving and wheelchair-accesible raised garden within the hoophouse to be completed by June 2011  Start planting! Fall 2011

Hoop house greenhouse construction is low-cost Cold-house succession planting of cold-tolerant vegetables requires no supplemental heat Raised-bed square-foot-gardening technique saves space, maximizes student involvement, reduces watering needs, and maximizes yield

Self-sustaining in the school setting as a means of teaching multi-disciplinary academic skills through practical application Sustains the development of civic capability, enabling students to connect what they learn to how they live Sustains opportunities for individual personal growth through higher-level thinking skills, cooperative learning, and problem solving with other students

 School-based composting  Fundraising through greenhouse production  Expanding gardening effort to involve more teachers, students, and parents  Establishment of GMS Garden club

 Mrs. Sellers blog:  Ms. Fajardo’s wiki: