Our Plant Program

At Paoli Jr. Sr. High School our goal is to teach our students how, and where our food comes from. Through the hydroponic system some of our students created, our students get a hands on approach of the process it takes to produce fresh produce. We are working with our schools Cafeteria to incorporate the fresh vegetables that we grow into the salads of the students lunches. With our students helping produce their some of their own lettuce, tomato, etc. they are also helping other students at Paoli Jr. Sr. High School have fresh grown foods in their lunches.

Another side of the students plant production includes the greenhouse. Students will work outside and grow plants like flowers, herbs, and other vegetable plants to sell to the public. This can help our students learn how to work with plants and others. The 2020-2021 school year, our students grew mostly flowers to sell so we could get our greenhouse production up and running. Most of the students were able to learn new things about how plants work, and others were able to provide information they already knew to help other students.

How do we do it?

This is a cube of rock wool, It will hold the plants seed and give the plant stability while it grows.

The seeds are then sprouted before being moved to the Arc for the remainder of their growth. When they are ready the rock wool cubes are stuffed into specially fitted boards of Styrofoam, which float on the waters surface of the Arc's pools.

These are float beds. They are containers that hold the Styrofoam boards that hold the plants. The pink/purple light being emitted are sets of ultraviolet LED bulbs. These LED's are designed to mimic the Sun's ultraviolet rays, which are important for healthy plant growth.

When the plants are ready for harvest, all are hand picked and processed for our schools delicious salads. Yummy!