Agricultural Innovative Grants

2022 Agricultural Innovative Grants Are Now Open Through April 8, 2022.
These grants were made possible in part by the Community Foundation of Washington County, INC.

Success Story: Hydroponics, Year-Round Indoor Gardening

Karen Kirby - Fountaindale Elementary

“My grant project was a huge help and success. The children loved learning about the hydroponics system and how it compares to the process out in our habitat. Children planted seeds, watched them germinate into seedlings, managed the turning of the system daily, took care of the system and checked water levels, problem solved slow growth ( Adding a fan for airflow- to create wind and a spray mist to simulate rain), compared structures of different species, took notes about daily changes and concerns, and harvested the produce. They especially enjoyed tasting each herb and type of lettuce. Our school did two harvests last year before we went into Covid 19 Distance learning. I plan on incorporating it into this year's curriculum as well.”

Students at Fountaindale Elementary School explore agriculture through a hydroponics project funded through the Education Foundation of WCPS Innovative Grants program.

Agriculturally Themed Past Innovative Grants:

2020

Let’s Get Growing! – Antietam Academy
Teacher: Jennifer Gormer
This project is designed to give students real world skills that will carry beyond the classroom. Students will utilize a greenhouse to produce winter vegetables and spring flowers. They will plan, evaluate cost, plant, monitor, water, fertilize and harvest the vegetables and flowers with the intent to learn how a business model works. Additionally, students will develop a community service project that involves sharing the produce/flowers that are grown with a community partner.

2019

Hydroponic Fodder System – Hancock Middle Senior High School
Teacher: Jamie Snyder
Award: $2,638.62
Students will construct a hydroponic fodder system for micro greens to be used primarily for the aquaponics and poultry programs as feed for both the fish and chickens. The system will allow for fodder, or sprouts from grain seed, to be harvested daily. This creates a product that is more digestible for animals and contains higher amounts of protein and fiber than the grain alone. This will be used to supplement units including germination, hydroponics, nutrition, digestion, vertical integration and agribusiness- just to name a few!

Farm to Table Through Hydroponics – Boonsboro High School
Teacher: Quinn Martin
Award: $1,000
This project will turn the existing greenhouse into a hydroponics greenhouse. Students will design and assemble an NFT hydroponic system to grow lettuce and herbs and a bucket system to grow tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers. The variation will not only provide a variety of crops for students to experience, but will also allow them to compare the effectiveness of each system. This provides students an opportunity to experience cutting edge, sustainable technology in the greenhouse industry. Once built, all students (current and future) enrolled in the Horticulture Completer within the Agriculture Program at Boonsboro High School will be involved.

Hydroponic Farm – South Hagerstown High School
Teacher: Corey Weitzel
Award: $909.80
A Hydroponic Farm will allow students in the Culinary Arts program to grow fresh vegetables and herbs and utilize these items in class. Once students begin to grow products consistently, we plan on starting a Farmers Market to sell produce to faculty and staff at South Hagerstown High School. Funds will go directly back into Culinary Arts program and provide students with field trip assistance, transportation to job interviews and small equipment for the class.

NMS Family Garden – Northern Middle School
Teacher: Mary Zielinksi
Award: $704.68
Life skills students and Best Buddies plus classroom and other school staff will build 2 raised-bed vegetable gardens (8′x4′ each) with a paver walking path between them. These raised-bed gardens will add to the two existing beds built last year. The vegetable gardens will be located outside of the life skills classroom and will be planted and maintained by our students and their best buddies during and after school hours. Classroom staff will assist with planting and maintaining the gardens. The portable greenhouse will be utilized earlier in mid to late to winter to germinate seeds and grow seedlings to be planted in the gardens. Life skills students will use the gardens as part of a plant life cycle unit. Additionally, they will enhance their cooking and prevocational education.

2018
Quinn Cashell, Agriculture Teacher – Boonsboro High School
Award: $1,000
Project: Raised Beds for Cut Flower Production
Boonsboro High School students enrolled in Landscape Design will design 4 raised flower beds to grow a variety of flowers that can be used in cut flower arrangements. Students enrolled in Carpentry classes will work to build the 4 raised beds to ensure that they are capable of holding the weight of the soil. Greenhouse Management and Floral Design students will then care for the needs of the plants, ensuring that they grow in a healthy, productive way. All cut flowers will be used to supplement arrangements designed by students in Floral Design.

2017

Priscilla Howard, Art Teacher – Clear Spring Elementary School
Award: $1000
Project: Agriculture in the Classroom
Agriculture in the Classroom will support our school’s Maryland Green School 2nd Certification, Healthy Schools Challenge, STEAM, the common core curriculum for 1st -5th grade and the National Standards for the Visual Arts. The program will first be implemented by Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation, the foundation has mobile science labs that are brought to the school for a week to teach students rigorous lessons. The mobile science lab Clear Spring Elementary would select is the “Explore the Wondrous World of Agriculture”. The investigations on the Mobile Science Labs will allow students to explore the NGSS eight practices of science and engineering identified as essential for all students to learn. The lessons support the new Environmental Literacy standards as students discover four of the ways farmers protect the environment and the Chesapeake Bay. After the lessons on the mobile science lab students will design their own environmentally friendly farm in their core extension period for visual arts. Classroom teachers will also implement lessons to support the Agriculture in the Classroom program. Thorough documentation of the lessons, activities, and assessments will be collected for green school certification, the healthy schools farm to school criteria, and grant purposes.

Laura Puffenbarger, Grade 3 – Boonsboro Elementary School
Award: $419
Project: Aquaponics
Students learn about ecosystems and animal/plant interdependence in 3rd grade. This 3-gallon fish tank is a closed-loop, self-cleaning ecosystem. Using the science of aquaponics, the fish waste naturally fertilizes the plants above and, in turn, the plants clean the water for the fish. This is a prime example of how fragile ecosystems are across the world.

2016

Jennifer Gormer – Antietam Academy
Award: $986.85
Project: Trout in the Classroom
Trout in the Classroom {TIC} is an interdisciplinary program where students raise trout from eggs, then release them into local waterways as guided by the Department of Natural Resources. Students measure and maintain water quality, learn about their local ecosystems, and study a local stream. At Antietam Academy, many students have not had an opportunity to learn firsthand about fish and the local environment. This project will give them hands-on experiences to frame activities across the content areas. TIC is currently active in 86 schools across Maryland, but no schools in Washington County currently participate.
The goal of the Trout in the Classroom program is to teach students to value natural resources, and to provide a platform to learn about the local ecosystem and watershed, the value of trout as an indicator of environmental quality, and to encourage stewardship of the environment. This is directly tied to many of the Next Generation Science Standards, which emphasize cycling of matter and ecosystems {HS-LS2 and HS-ESS2} and the impacts that humans have on the earth {HS-ESS3}. This project will assist with the Science and Engineering Practices defined by the NGSS, and with all four of the county transfer goals that have been identified for science. (Select and evaluate reliable sources of information to address real world issues, use critical thinking, inquiry and modeling to analyze ideas and phenomena to solve problems, design and conduct an authentic scientific investigation in order to collect and analyze data, communicate the results of an investigation using claim, evidence, and reasoning.) The trout can also be used to show genetic variation and as an example of mitosis.
Similar correlation to curricular transfer goals exists with English Language Arts (ELA). Project based research about the trout life cycle and environment are logical connections. Partnering with local Trout Unlimited members and their resources and publications will provide both analysis of and participation in advocacy. In addition to the opportunities for narrative, expository, and argumentative writing assignments, extension opportunities exist to use primary source texts such as Isaak Walton’s writings about fishing, Bliss Perry’s classic (and with text and audio in public domain) treatise Fishing With a Worm, Richard Brautigan’s Trout Fishing in America, and numerous scientific and environmental writings about the Antietam watershed and impact on the greater Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. The interplay of local and distant advocacy for reduction of sediment (see National Parks papers) through riparian plantings as well as control of agricultural and rural runoff-all important considerations for healthy trout waters-will provide real-world opportunities for research and argument, essential ELA skills.
Newly obtained technology will also be utilized in this endeavor. Data will be collected using probes that connect to the iPads, and apps on the iPads will allow for graphical representation and analysis of the data. A Twitter can be created to allow students to tweet about the progress of the project so that other schools and community members can follow along.

2015

Tom Mazzone – Hancock Middle-Senior High School
Award: $1,000
Project: Agriculture
Each student enrolled in the agriculture courses will be directly involved with the extraction and processing of honey, as well as tapping maple trees and processing it. In doing so, it is expected that students will have a solid understanding of the following topics:
- Plant bi-products
- Ag Marketing
- Agribusiness
- Identification of hive components
- Understanding of honey extracting equipment
- How to extract and process honey
- Identification of maple tapping equipment
- Process of tapping maple trees
- How to process maple syrup
The agriculture program at Hancock is in its second year of existence. At the present time, we offer both an Intro to Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources course as well as a Plant Science class. Beginning next school year, we will offer the aforementioned courses in addition to a new Animal and Plant Biotechnology class and a capstone course. In the future, we would love to offer a small gas engines and welding course as well.

2014

Tom Mazzone – Hancock Middle Senior High School
Award: $983.78
Project: Veg-mat-able
The “Veg-mat-able” is a hands-on learning experience for students enrolled in the Horticulture class. Each student will create a vegetable mat which they may take home to use and keep. Students will gain an understanding of seed identification, vegetable identification, planting times, plant spacing, irrigation, and weed management. Students will plant, care for, and harvest 17 different vegetables on the mat. Flowers will also be planted on the mat to teach about pollination. This project almost entirely encompasses all major points of the Horticulture course in one assignment. While the project teaches students about growing vegetables in school, the benefits most definitely extend off the school grounds. Students using the mat at home will have access to nutritious vegetables which can be enjoyed by themselves and their families.

Colleen Ayling – Maugansville Elementary School
Award: $997.20
Project: Intermediate Life Skills Garden
Learning about the process of growing food helps children develop an understanding of the connection between healthy eating and a healthy body. A school garden provides a base of knowledge that allows children to take an active role in healthy food choices. The Intermediate Life Skills Garden project will provide the Life Skills students with multiple raised garden beds that will allow hands-on learning for all children, including those in wheelchairs. The opportunities for hands-on learning through exploration, experimentation and nurturing can be especially beneficial for children with special needs. The garden will provide “real world” examples and experiences that boost learning for students who thrive on practical instruction and will integrate math, science, and health curriculum.

Wendy Rodgers – Hickory Elementary School
Award: $998
Project: Second Grade Community Garden
One of the real-world problems regularly faced by students is that of proper nutrition and hunger. This project will, with the help of technology, provide students with an opportunity to identify this problem, research a solution, and create a plan to take back into their real-life communities to impact change. Students will be given the problems of feeding a certain number of people for a month. They will use iPads to research and design a garden that will grow with the right type of vegetables and fruits to meet the nutritional needs of the population. The students will calculate costs, write a proposal, edit and design their garden. Using the iPad applications, the students will create a demonstration/exhibit to present their design to the class. In addition to providing an opportunity to utilize technology in an effective, engaging, and meaningful way, this classroom project has the potential to develop into a collaborative community project that will improve the lives and health of students and their families.