NAHANT — After a months-long process of acquiring an anonymous $80,000 donation, raising the remaining funds — and lastly, the structure of the greenhouse itself — students of Johnson Elementary are finally ready to grow their own crops and provide food to local communities.
Students of the school’s Green Team rallied inside the new greenhouse — with a walkway paved with bricks from the school’s “Buy a Brick Fundraiser” — where they lined up to fill the raised beds inside it with soil. The students were overseen by Superintendent of Schools Rob Liebow and Greenhouse Supervisor Jose Garcia.
The school also utilized the assistance of the Nahant Department of Public Works, which helped the school fill the remainder of the raised beds.
Liebow explained that the next steps for the students are an ambitious one for the group: a portion of the crops grown will be donated to food banks in local communities in order to support people who may need assistance.
“We have 31 kids who signed up to be a part of the Green Team, and it will be split into three groups of kids who work in the greenhouse on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, with six or seven per group. … We’re filling the raised beds with soil so that we can grow crops, which we’ll be planting next week,” Liebow said.
He continued, explaining that the school has about a dozen vegetables it looks to grow once the operation is fully underway. He noted it was important for students to “learn to give back while they’re young.”
One student, Scarlett York, said she was excited to “give back to people who might not have enough.”
Lucy Bell, another participant on the Johnson School’s Green Team expressed that the vegetable she was most excited to grow was green beans, and that she found being with her friends to be one of the best parts of the program.
Principal Heather Castonguay also shared her thoughts on the development.
“We were thrilled to launch the JES Green Team after school, and our students in grades K–6 absolutely loved it. By the next morning, the excitement was contagious, and even more students were eager to join,” Castonguay said. “Superintendent Liebow and mister Garcia, who are leading the Green Team, were all smiles as they worked alongside our students in the greenhouse.”
She continued, saying that “we’re excited to see this enrichment program grow and inspire our students.”
