Middle School Grow Towers Feed Minds and Meals

Students at Red Jacket Middle School are getting a hands-on lesson in sustainability, collaboration, and nutrition, thanks to three hydroponic Grow Towers that are producing more than just plants. The towers, cared for by students, are growing fresh food that is being used not only in the cafeteria but also across multiple classrooms, bringing learning to life in meaningful and engaging ways.

The project began through two separate grants secured by middle school teacher Deborah Goodman, who brought the vision for hydroponic growing to the district. The first, an Agricultural Literacy Grant from Cornell University titled “Verduras, una lengua universal” (Vegetables, a universal language), provided one hydroponic grow tower. A second grant of $3,500 from Whole Kids funded two additional towers. Today, two towers are housed in the Spanish classroom, while a third is located in a 7th-grade math classroom.

A key part of the program’s success has been the collaboration of classroom teachers who have fully embraced and helped integrate the towers into instruction. The math classroom is led by Jamie Pentland, who partnered with the program to bring real-world data analysis into his curriculum. Students in his class analyzed survey results to determine which herbs, vegetables, and fruits to grow, then graphed and interpreted the data as part of their math instruction.

“I love seeing the excitement and enthusiasm students have as they watch the garden growing,” Goodman said. “Very often students will gather around the gardens to look at the progress and talk about what they see happening.”

From the start, the initiative was designed to extend beyond gardening. Both grants emphasized social-emotional benefits, such as the calming effect of the towers’ gentle, waterfall-like sounds, which help create a more relaxed classroom environment. At the same time, the towers provide unique opportunities for cross-curricular learning, connecting Spanish language instruction with math, science, and Home and Careers classes.

The impact of the towers has extended into the kitchen as well. Students in Spanish classes and high school Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) classes collaborated on a salsa taste test using ingredients grown in the towers. These efforts were strengthened through the partnership with Tracey Snieszko, who worked alongside students to incorporate the hydroponic produce into classroom cooking experiences. Students prepared recipes in English, while Spanish students translated the same recipes as part of their coursework, all while enjoying the final product. Additionally, the gardens have provided fresh herbs and vegetables for use in pizzas, burgers, and other dishes in FACS classes.

More recently, the program has expanded to include the district’s food service department. Students have supplied small amounts of fresh lettuce grown in the towers to be used in cafeteria salads, an effort the school hopes to continue and grow in the future. For students, there is a strong sense of pride in knowing they helped grow the food they are eating.

The Grow Towers have become a unique and engaging feature of the school, blending disciplines in unexpected ways. The project’s message is clear: learning can happen anywhere, and food truly is a universal language.