laurie left a legacy
AVID students create memorial gardens
FEATURE | November 2022
AVID students create memorial gardens
FEATURE | November 2022
Hopefully, by now, you have noticed the beautiful hydroponic gardens that we have at CHS. These gardens are a service project of the AVID class of 2025 dedicated to the service of Mr. and Mrs. McMerty.
The gardens are a student-designed community service project which began last fall, 2021. The idea for a school garden was developed by a small group of students in AVID 10, and as a class, the students agreed they wanted to be a part of bringing a community garden to CHS.
The students created a project pitch, presented the idea to the school administration, and received overwhelming approval. Through a grant from the ND Department of Public Instruction, AVID was able to purchase three hydroponic grow stands that grow many different varieties of greens, vegetables, and herbs.
The goals and objectives of our service project are: to create a school community garden that is grown indoors, can be maintained during the school year, is easily manageable, uses minimum resources, provides products that can be used by students and staff, and meets administrative approval.
The initial planting of the LettuceGrow Farmstand happened at the end of September. Within four short weeks, AVID students were able to harvest greens for CHS specialty salads sold in the sub and salad line, and as samplings for teachers.
AVID 10 has partnered with the Bismarck Public Schools Child Nutrition department to bring more dark greens into our school lunches. According to projections for produce this winter, dark greens, such as kale and romaine, will become increasingly more expensive and difficult to source. By investing in our school garden, the nutrition department is able to fulfill their government requirements for dark greens in our meal lines while providing an outlet for the AVID produce.
We look forward to this partnership for many years as we fulfill our service mission and provide produce for our kitchens.
Please follow our progress on Instagram and Tiktok. If you have a special request for produce you’d like to see grown within CHS, please reach out to an AVID 10 student or to Mrs. Phillips.
Follow us on Instagram: @chs.avid_let.us.grow
Tiktok: @century.plants.2025 and @chsavid_let.us.grow
Photo 1 | Madison Martin and Drew Kempel harvest plants from the hydroponic planter on November 11, 2022. | Photo by Mercedes Vanover
Photo 2 | AVID students plan a hydroponic gardening system to benefit students and staff. | Jordan Klein, Drew Kempel, Hunter Fitterer, Owen Phillips, Wyatt Silbernagel, Jacob Schlag, Mallory Moos, Brailyn Makeef, Alynna Buck Elk, Madison Martin, Avery Griffin, Cortney Krueger, Sydney Breimeier, Brooke Canright, Madison Wolf, Zoie Austin, Emma Davis, Regan Kummer, Jaron Berger, Trisha Anderson, Kaylin Delzer, and Gina Phillips | Photo submitted by Gina Phillips
Gina Phillips teaches Global Studies and AVID courses at Century High School. Before going back into the classroom, she worked as the school Library Media Specialist. She enjoys getting to know her students, and in her spare time, Phillips loves making sauerkraut, canning other vegetables from her home garden, spending time with her Aussiedoodle, Bodhi, sewing, and creating stained glass art.