Green Campus Update by Mrs. Ruppel

For five years we have been actively working the grounds of our campus to make it beautiful and productive.  We thought it was a good idea to update you with information and some photos on what happens each month.

We will start with our new worm bin.  The correct name for having the worms work the soil in a contained system is called vermiculture.  Easy to remember because it almost rhymes with worm – verm – worm!

Our 8^th graders loaded up the worm bin (graciously made by Mr. Pelletier) with a bottom layer of cardboard, added soil they extracted from the compost bin, a layer of shredded newspaper, more soil, a layer of shredded leaves, more soil, a layer of crushed egg shells, more soil, a layer of more leaves and topped it off with a layer of cafeteria scraps.  We then put a cardboard “blanket” on top to help keep it warm. 

The worms were added at the beginning of quarantine and now we have a weekly procedure: 

Open worm bin

Take off cardboard “blanket”

Add food scraps

Water to keep moist

Replace cardboard blanket

Close bin

Our goal is to have each class in charge of the process for a month.  We will institute this when the virus protocols are relaxed.

What’s Happening in our Raised Beds?

In August, the 8^th grade transferred compost to the garden beds.  There were SO many worms!  That means we are doing a great job keeping our compost bins producing rich, black soil. 

We have some year-old kale and swiss chard that the chickens love to eat!  If our teachers choose to feed the chickens, they take the students to the garden beds, pinch off a leaf, do not pull upwards or the plant will come out of the soil, and walk to our chicken coop.   Teachers and staff are welcome to use them for salads.

There is a volunteer tomato plant, a sweet potato vine, and a few weeks ago both Kindergarten classes planted rows of lettuce and carrots. 

WHAT? We have a greenhouse???

Yes, two!  We purchased these with a grant we received in 2019.  Last spring the 4^th grade started 24 tomato plants.  Our goal was to give these to families when they were ready to be planted, hopefully we can repeat this process in 2021.

Many families answered the call for donated seeds and we used some of them, again, with the intent of starting the seeds in our greenhouses and letting the students grow the plants at home.  We’ll try again in Spring of 2021.

Mrs. Ruppel

“It is important for a child to plant a seed, to water it, nourish it, tend to it, watch it grow, and when he does, and when she does, they themselves will grow into great citizens.”

Lady Bird Johnson