Planting seeds, growing minds
Photo by Josh McDonald Kellogg Middle School students (left to right) Sheridan Martin, Keauna Andrews, Jerimiha Marquez, Nathan Bisaro, Noah Groth, and Mina Kincheloe stand among the various plants they have been tending to inside the KMS Greenhouse.
By JOSH MCDONALD
Staff Reporter
KELLOGG — For many years, the Kellogg Middle School greenhouse has been a place of learning and opportunity for students and this year isn’t any different.
Students have been hard at work recently, getting the greenhouse and all of its contents ready for the annual spring sale.
Tending to a greenhouse — as well as gearing up for the spring sale — gives the students an opportunity to learn a myriad of different things, all of which are important skills that can be useful as they go forward in life.
“The KMS greenhouse is a student-run program of learning and working,” KMS special education teacher Terry Loudon said. “Students have the opportunity for hands-on experience in workplace competencies while getting dirty. The students participate in all phases of preparation, seed planting, watering, labeling, transplanting, sorting, fertilizing, customer service and sales. We also have been keeping a running journal and graphing the growth of our plants.”
The students working the greenhouse have been busy insuring that a variety of plants are available for the spring sale, including various tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and basil.
Once the sale is over and the greenhouse is empty, the students will then move on to their next planting adventure.
“In addition to the greenhouse, students have the opportunity to work outdoors in the KMS garden beds where weeding, hand tilling and worm discovery have been the primary focus thus far,” Loudon said. “We are tentatively planning to plant a variety of things including sunflowers, pumpkins and squash to name a few. We also have our returning strawberry and raspberry plants.”
The KMS greenhouse spring sale will be this Friday and Saturday (noon to 7 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday).
With around a thousand plants available, there should be plenty for everyone.
The greenhouse is also looking for any donations, especially empty pots. For more information or to donate, contact Terry Loudon at 208-784-1311.