Community

How can you get involved?

Though we have the greenhouse built and is already growing plants, we are adding to it. We need some volunteers to help build new equipment that will not only protect the plants, but also educate the students at our school. Materials will be provided, but tools may need to be brought. Anyone can come to help.

Here are some community projects that have been done.

Raised Beds

Is a form of gardening in which the soil is in a three to four foot wide square. It would be made out of wood, rocks or concrete. We have raised beds because it it improve the efficiency of growth and sprout. So far in our garden we have 9 raised beds.

Compost Bins

When gardening, plants need soil and nutrients to grow into plants that can produce fruits. In 2019 Adam Megel helped build a compost bin to help with the production of compost for the plants. We also have compost tumblers. The compost tumblers use old scraps of food and vegetables that are mixed with soil to produce compost. That compost is then used to grow the plants. The horticulture club fills these tumblers and the younger students spin them. The compost bin will hold more compost.


Weather Station and Literacy Garden

In 2019, Greg Harter gifted St. Bartholomew with a Weather Station and Literacy Garden for our Outdoor Learning Lab (OLL). As seen below, this project not only measures temperature, humidity, and rainfall but also has a library where the community can borrow books while visiting the OLL and surrounding areas.

Butterfly house

The Butterfly house was built by the Moenssen Family in 2019.

Here are some pictures of how the current butterfly house looks like:


Worm Farms

Our worm farm was donated by Mr. and Mrs. Hittle

What are worm farms? Worm farms are tub like things, Which can be used so that the worms can eat the food waste organic matter like leaves. it can later be collected to be used as a fertilizer.

if you have a worm farm the worms can eat from 3-4 kg of kitchen waste per week.

What I need to start a worm farm.

To start a worm farm you are going to need food for example food scraps ( left over food). The most common type of food scraps to use include fruit, veggies, egg shells, coffee also make sure you chop the food into little pieces to make it easy for the worms to eat.

What does a worm farm need to stay health?

A worm farm needs to be moisturized, have air at all times dark, warm but not hot.

Is it hard to take care of worm farms?

It really is not hard to take care of worm farms, According to some farmers it only take them 30 minutes per day to maintain. Another reason it is help full and easy to maintain is because you dont have to buy special food for example like what you would by for a pet. You can just throw your left overs that you did not finish crush them into little pieces and boom done.

Senior Projects

You can reach out to the Outdoor Learning Lab for your Senior project! This project focuses on the growth of plants, environment, and collaboration with the community. Most of the project is already laid out. All you need to do is come help out! Contact Mrs. Nusawardhana if you are interested.

Senior Project: Cold Frames

In Spring 2021, we have a HS Senior making the cold frames.


Here are some other small projects you can also help:

Picnic Tables

Our classes are working outside in the greenhouse more and more. However, there are many students and may be difficult for everyone to have their own space. The plan for the OLL is that there will be enough seating for all students by having picnic tables outside.

Fossil Bed

For the fossil beds, we need people who can help dig and put the fossils in.

Raised Beds

We can use more raised beds for OLL class projects.