Seeds of Education at Pioneer Academy in Carson City
Pioneer Academy keeps on Growing!
When the local and regional Rotary club announced educational grants last year, Mrs. Steinkraus, Science and Engineering teacher at Pioneer Academy (Pioneer), responded by submitting an application to construct a greenhouse. And, in this, her third attempt to procure funding, she received news that Pioneer was awarded a grant that would cover the cost of the greenhouse structure.
Today, the greenhouse is on its way to the Pioneer campus and students in the Engineering classes are making the necessary arrangements for its arrival. This has involved both preparing the build site and planning the construction process of the 10 foot by 20 foot structure. Luis Plascencia, a senior at Pioneer said there is a lot more to the process than he originally thought, “We have to decide the best type of foundation to maximize how long the structure will last given our budget. We also want to be able to expand in the future."
The Greenhouse Project is the result of integrated curriculum planning over several years, and fits nicely with the new Discovery Block initiative Pioneer is rolling out this spring. By combining multiple curricular content areas to the project, all students will have opportunity to have some type of involvement with the greenhouse. Engineering class students this year are working on the setup construction and planning for future additions. Health class students will study nutritional values of different produce to help determine types of produce to grow. Science class students will study soil and plant varieties to maximize the growing seasons. Math class students will analyze and evaluate data. Leadership and J4NG class students will help with how the greenhouse can be used effectively in the community.
Mrs. Steinkraus explained that the Greenhouse Project will use earmarked funds to start growing a variety of plants and vegetables, with the goal that the cross-curriculum venture ultimately will become self-sufficient through produce and plant sales. Even before the first seeds are planted, the effort has provided an opportunity for building school community and cooperation. We look forward to even more fruit from the effort in harvests to come.