NAHANT — Superintendent of Schools Robert Liebow announced that an anonymous donor gave the Johnson Elementary School $80,000 to construct a state-of-the-art greenhouse, which will be located next to the school garden.
According to Liebow, the school had been discussing plans for a new greenhouse on the property for some time now — but Liebow said after doing some more thinking on the matter, the donor decided to fund the entirety of the project on the condition that Liebow keeps the identity of the donor unknown.
Johnson School Principal Kevin Andrews took a moment to reflect on the exciting news for his students. “This is just a really great thing for our students. We’re very pleased to announce that we’ll have a new greenhouse on the grounds, and we’re very grateful to the donor for everything,” Andrews said.
The addition of a new greenhouse brings a plethora of possibilities for students, with the aim being to educate students on everything from growing produce and the importance of locally-grown goods in their communities, as well as marketing and sales skills, where the kids will run their very own farmer’s market with parents and volunteers, once the greenhouse is up and running, according to Liebow.
Liebow added that the new greenhouse will be constructed from polycarbonate, which he says will be instrumental in filtering light and heat in an appropriate way to maintain the goods that students will be growing and tending to.
“The kids will learn about the entire process,” Liebow said. “From handling and growing the vegetables themselves, working in the greenhouse, and they can even learn what it’s like on the marketing side when we get our farmer’s market going. I think this is very exciting both for the students and the community.’
