Jenna Collins, Environmental Center Coordinator & Teacher
Amber Ortiz, Environmental Center Support Specialist
Our chicken coop, assembled by our students in the Spring of 2023 is also taken care of by our students. Students manage the daily needs of our chickens such as collecting eggs, providing clean water, filling feed, refreshing snacks, and setting up enrichment activities.
Our raised garden bed was built by our students in the Fall of 2024. Students worked hard to fill the garden with soil, compost, and amendments. Students continue to seed new crops seasonally (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter).
Currently, we are growing:
Flowers: Calendula, Snapdragons, Zinnia, Cosmos, and Marigolds.
Herbs: Dill, Tri-color Sage, Parsley, Chives, and basil
Fruits & Vegetables: Various Lettuces, Tomatoes, Radishes, Beets, Arugula, Spinach, Carrots
Students will first be raising fish in our classroom, which will then be places in our aquaponics system come the spring time. This is a sustainable food production system that combines aquaculture (raising fish) and hydroponics (growing plants in water). Students will work to manage the system, grow vegetables, and harvest vegetables which will be dispersed to our student run cafe and the community.
Our Tower Gardens are located in our grow room, directly next to Cafe Excepcional. This system uses aeroponic growing technology. These towers can produce 30% more yields with 90% less space than traditional gardening methods. Students are working hard to start the seedlings, test ph and nutrient levels, and they are looking forward to harvesting fresh produce!
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Our Environmental Center chickens are a special and valuable part of our program.
They provide students with hands-on learning experiences that teach responsibility, compassion, animal care, nutrition, life cycles, and sustainability. Students have the opportunity to observe, care for, and learn directly from the chickens, helping connect classroom lessons to real-world experiences. In addition to supporting education, our chickens provide us with fresh eggs that can be used for learning activities and shared with our community.
They are a wonderful example of how caring for animals and the environment can create meaningful learning opportunities for our students!