USA - Pennsylvania - VIDEO - Montco School District Has First Student-Run Hydroponic Farm In State
The Methacton School District in Montgomery County is the first in Pennsylvania to have a student-run hydroponic farm.
Jon Campisi, Patch Staff
June 6, 2022
(Shutterstock / bluedog studio)
WORCESTER, PA — A school district in Montgomery County has become the first across the commonwealth to host a student-run hydroponic farm onsite at one of its school buildings.
The Methacton School District, which serves students from Worcester and Lower Providence Townships, announced that its hydroponic farm, dubbed 'Windy Hill Farm,' is the first such indoor farm at any high school across Pennsylvania.
Students began planting seeds in January that went on to start yielding the first crop of plants this spring, and they have since harvested more than 2,000 plants and herbs including lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and dill, according to the school district.
The hydroponic farm — hydroponics is a type of agriculture that grows produce without the use of soil — is available to students in all grade levels at the high school as part of the district's focus on S.T.E.M., which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.
"It is designed to cover how plants can be grown hydroponically, how the scientific method is not a linear process and how hydroponic farming has benefits to society," the school district said in a description about the project found online. "The course also has a lab component in addition to hands-on experience. A strong emphasis is also placed on business, marketing, computer science and mathematics."
According to the school district, the project was the brainchild of science teachers Steve Savitz, Jeremy Walton and Tracy Murray.
The vertical hydroponic farm itself is located inside of a custom-building shipping container, whose state-of-the-art design includes technology that allows electricity and fresh water to be inserted into the container's frame.
The school district said the project was also made possible with funding assistance from the Methacton Education Foundation.
The community can learn more about the hydroponic farm at Methacton High School through this YouTube video.