Denver high school students grow greener future for their community with new greenhouse
By Kennedy Cook
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DENVER (KCNC) — Students at one Denver high school are getting green thumbs thanks to a greenhouse that gives them the opportunity to help their community.
Farm educator at Bruce Randolph School, Mariah Middlebrooks, is helping students grow a greener future one plant at a time. She manages the school’s hydroponic farm and greenhouse, one of few in the district.
The greenhouse is the school’s latest effort to teach its students about farming and agriculture, but it also allows them to serve a community in need. Bruce Randolph School is located in a food desert, where a lack of convenient access to affordable and nutritious food options like fresh produce can cause higher rates of undernutrition, obesity, diabetes and other health issues.
“In this particular neighborhood, there’s not a grocery store anywhere near,” said Middlebrooks. “The closest one I know of is Walmart, and that’s 15 minutes by car. We’re pulling kids from Swansea-Elyria, pulling kids from Park Hill, we’re pulling kids even from Commerce City.”
The food harvested on site goes into the community with partnerships all across Denver, including a local pay-what-you-can farmer’s market.
“It’s something that people can come and get their resources from. We usually get food banks once a month,” said senior Stephanie Rojas. “We’ve planted everything, like cilantro, peppers, jalapeños, all of that good stuff…tomatoes,” she shared.
Middlebrooks said taking care of their own plants is a great learning experience for students. “When I give students plants to take home, they’ll usually come back to me and say, ‘Miss, my plant died,’ and I’m like, ‘Ok, what didn’t we do?’ or ‘Miss, my plant is growing, and it’s really amazing!'”
Students Aileen Fernandez (left) and Stephanie Rojas (right) examine plants in the greenhouse.
Rojas said the class has given her and her classmates a better understanding of not only how to grow their own food, but also where it comes from.
That’s the goal of the program, said Middlebrooks. “We’re still food justice-minded, but in here, it’ll be more about horticulture and plant growing and what that looks like.”
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