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HEF Spring 2017 Grant #:

494-2053
wschrega@hollandpublicschools.org

HEF Grants OVER $300 Application


Deadline: Friday, January 27, 2017, 5:00 pm

Date: January 22, 2017

Applicant Name(s): Kortney Koopman & Alison Whittaker (student teacher)

Grade/Subject: 6th & 7th Grade English Language Arts

Work Phone: 494-2513

Building: Jefferson K-7

Project Title: Jefferson Tower Garden

Total Cost of Project (including shipping & handling): $1,022.42

Total number of students involved/impacted: 500+

HPS Technology Department quote attached (Y/N): N

1. Project Description: Tower Garden in Schools (Watch video,


please)

A recent trend in schools has seen school-wide gardens pop up across


the nation. From Washington to New York, educators have found success in
teaching students about the responsibility of caring for a garden and have
witnessed the positive shift in students academic abilities. There is little question
that growing a garden is an unconventional approach to helping students
increase cross-curricular connections, however, students directly benefit from
taking care of the garden through exposure to healthy food options, tangible
results from collaboration with their peers, and the ability to transfer one simple
life-skill to other areas of their learning careers. This project focuses on
encouraging students to work together and collaborate on caring for a classroom
garden while providing untold academic advantages and life experiences.

The Tower Garden is a simple and logical alternative to bringing the


concept of gardening to the Holland Public School District. In order to provide the
most cost-effective garden option and maintain an inclusive approach to the
project, using the easily accessible and cost-effective Tower Garden system
introduces the exciting opportunities of learning and life skills through gardening
at Jefferson School. The Tower Garden produces full sized fruits and vegetables
grown inside using a streamlined, space-conscious design. The Tower Garden
fits easily inside of a classroom setting, is simple to assemble and maintain, and
is built using an aeroponic design. Essentially, plants are grown using water and
liquid nutrients but no soil. This process eliminates the mess of soil indoors and
solves the issue of battling the ever-changing West Michigan climate. Aeroponics
seamlessly promotes the indoor growth of fruits and vegetables while taking up
minimal space. Students receive the same benefit as an outdoor garden but have
the increased opportunity to rotate the garden from room to room, observe and
care for the changing growth in the plants, and collaborate on garden-related
assignments without the labor-intensive requirements of a year-round outdoor
garden. In order to provide students in Holland Public Schools with the same
unique learning opportunities as students in different states, the Tower Garden is
the perfect solution.

While the use of a Tower Garden in a classroom setting may be new to


the Holland Public School District, educator Stephen Ritz of the Bronx Green
Machine has found incredible success using this exact Tower Garden in his work
with students in New York. In fact, Ritz has worked with the Buck Institute for
Education to design curriculum, lesson ideas, and activities for multiple subjects
in order to help teachers and educators make the most out of the Tower Garden
in their school. Pictured below is a photograph of Stephen Ritz and a student with
the Tower Garden in their classroom.

Boys and Girls Club of Holland, West Ottawa Public and Hamilton Public
have made the conscious decision to include Tower Gardens in their buildings. It
brings connection, engagement, curiosity and knowledge to all who interact.
Positive school environments are not built overnight and often start with the
smallest seed of innovation and belief in the bigger picture. Collaboration
continues to be a vital aspect of any successful classroom environment and
should be promoted on a regular basis. Introducing the Tower Garden at
Jefferson will provide a new avenue of student connection, responsibility, and
teamwork, helping students invest in themselves and seek new opportunities.
Encouraging students to take the responsibility of growing vegetables and
working together creates an invaluable experience of classroom collaboration
and introduces the concept of watching fruits and vegetables grow and change.
Students will learn how simple it can be to have access to healthy food options,
and the importance of personal responsibility and taking risks to learn new
things.
2. Expected Outcomes (including curriculum standard/s met):
The Tower Garden in schools will provide a supplemental way to meet many
cross-curricular standards. Below are a few.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.3

Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out


experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.9

Compare and contrast the information gained from experiments,


simulations, video, or multimedia sources with that gained from
reading a text on the same topic.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.1.B

Follow rules for collegial discussions, set specific goals and


deadlines, and define individual roles as needed.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.1.C

Pose and respond to specific questions with elaboration and detail


by making comments that contribute to the topic, text, or issue
under discussion.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.1.D

Review the key ideas expressed and demonstrate understanding of


multiple perspectives through reflection and paraphrasing.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.2

Interpret information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g.,


visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how it contributes to a
topic, text, or issue under study.

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas:


CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.4

Present claims and findings, sequencing ideas logically and using


pertinent descriptions, facts, and details to accentuate main ideas
or themes; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and
clear pronunciation.
3. Itemized budget (for HEF funds) needed to support this
project:
Tower Garden Growing System - $525.00

Tower Garden Light Kit - $219.00

Tower Garden Dolly - $69.95

Tomato CG with SPCR - $60.00

Shipping to 49424 - $90.60

Tax - $57.87

Total Cost - $1,022.42

4. How will success be measured?


Student engagement will be the primary success indicator. As students begin
to witness the growth taking place on the Tower Garden, the opportunities for
engagement both in and out of class will increase dramatically. Students will
interact with each other as they work to keep the plants healthy and will begin to
make personal connections between the garden and class assignments involving
writing, data collection, and making predictions of plant growth. In addition to
students involvement, the Tower Garden allows opportunities for new and
unique ways to include parents. The Tower Garden allows for active educational
participation between parents, students, and staff.

The Tower Garden serves as a completely equitable resource for all involved,
including students with special needs and ESL and ELL students. Because the
Tower Garden is transportable, it can be easily moved and shared in different
environments and classrooms on an as needed basis.

Students in 6th grade spend time reading Seedfolks as part of their Narrative
Reading Unit as specified by the MAISA Curriculum. The Tower Garden serves
as a tangible connecting point expanding text-to-world and text-to-self
connections, increasing the depth of impact, and reinforcing students transfer
knowledge. Seedfolks tells the story of a diverse inner-city community in Ohio
that comes together to build a community garden. For 6th graders specifically,
this project allows each class to develop their own community as they build a
garden together.

5. Have you applied to other funding sources? If so, which?


No other sources of funding have been applied for at this time.
6. Optional: Other information about this project you feel might
be useful in reviewing this application.
School gardens are not a new concept. The popular trend has continued to
impact schools across the nation and has sparked a new type of learning
experience for students during the school year. In a recent article by the
Washington Post describing school gardens in Washington state and the
incredible impact on student learning experiences, author Adrian Higgins
comments on the extensive academic impact gardens have, saying Geology,
hydrology, poetry, music, ecology, cooking and microbiology all find a home in
this arena we call a garden, as well as dozens of other subjects beyond most
peoples imagination (Higgins). Gardens inevitably bridge the gap into other
subjects in students school day and continue to impact their understanding and
connection to how things grow long after their immediate interaction with the
garden ends.

Considering the Michigan weather system, a Tower Garden eliminates the


question of what to do with the garden during the winter and allows the learning
to continue throughout the entire school year without ever leaving the classroom.
Higgins succinctly points out The lesson, perhaps, is that school gardens are a
boon to learning, that the movement is now mainstream but not universal, and
that they need a web of support within schools and the community to flourish
(Higgins). In order to build a new level of support and teamwork into the school
environment, introducing the Tower Garden creates a path for students to work
hard on a new project and encourage one another as the garden flourishes.

The beauty of the Tower Garden extends beyond the 2016-2017 school year.
Considering the potential longevity of the Tower Garden structure, the only
renewable cost at the beginning of each school year are the seeds of the
vegetables to be grown. The Tower Garden itself is not a consumable product
and the investment into this system will extend long beyond a one-time
contribution. The system will be reused from year to year, creating new growing
opportunities each season. Ultimately, those impacted by this simple yet
collaborative and cross-curricular project are almost unknown.

Connecting with the community and establishing relationships with families is


a priority for Holland Public Schools. As 2017 begins, it is important to look to
new and unique ways of developing these relationships and providing exciting
and innovative learning opportunities for all students. The Tower Garden will
undoubtedly help parents, students, and teachers continue growing together.
References

"Grow Vegetables, Fruits & Herbs | Aeroponic Tower Garden." Tower Garden.

Juice Plus, 2016. Web. 16 Jan. 2017.

Higgins, Adrian. "As School Gardens Spread, so Do the Teaching Moments."

The Washington Post. WP Company, 7 Dec. 2016. Web. 15 Jan. 2017.

Ritz, Stephen. "Learning Garden at CS - Community School 55." Green Bronx

Machine. Green Bronx Machine, 2016. Web. 15 Jan. 2017.

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