By Greg Scharen
MIDDLETOWN – Middletown High School North (MHSN) is known for orange and black, but May 28 it added green to its colors as the principal and members of the school’s Green Team cut the ribbon on its new courtyard greenhouse.
The project, which has been in the works since 2015, was about much more than building a greenhouse – it was about bringing the community together.
“I wanted to have something all departments could be involved in and it was truly a community-wide project. It makes me so happy,” said Patricia Cartier, MHSN principal, on the development of the greenhouse. Students were outside every day, she said, working with their hands to create the garden areas surrounding the greenhouse and to build the planters in which all the seeds would grow inside the structure.
“They took great pride in working on this project even though they may not seem to show it,” said Tim Heaney, a teacher with the school’s Vision program which helps students with behavioral issues learn in an empathetic environment. Cartier and Heaney both said how there were no behavior issues with students while working on the greenhouse.
Cartier created MHSN’s Green Team in the 2015-16 school year after learning about Sustainable Jersey for Schools, a nonprofit organization that provides tools and financial resources for schools who want to go green. The school obtained Sustainable Jersey for Schools bronze certification in the 2016-17 school year and received a $10,000 grant from the program the following year, funded by the NJEA.
While Sustainable Jersey for Schools has given a number of grants each year to schools that have demonstrated a commitment to sustainability, the $10,000 didn’t completely cover the costs of transforming the courtyard into a green area. MHSN made up the short-fall with donations from The Middletown Lion’s Club, dozens of local vendors and proceeds from a flea market organized by Cartier.
Made of polycarbonate sheeting, the greenhouse is 30 feet long by 16 feet high and has an estimated usable life of 25-30 years, according to Eric Hobliztell, AP environmental science teacher, and Judy Stevens, AP literature teacher and Green Team member.
The students are growing peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes and other vegetables inside the greenhouse, both in soil and hydroponically. Outside of the greenhouse, the rest of the courtyard area has two gardens with multiple planting beds and more crops such as corn, strawberries and potatoes.
Student Allison Santiago has started taking care of some of the tropical plants growing in the garden and greenhouse. “It’s cool since I started taking care of the plants here, I have started to take care of the plants at home,” she said.
The greenhouse will also be a tool for the entire school as any department may use the greenhouse and garden area for lessons. There are hopes for future classes on horticulture; the cultivation of a garden, orchard or nursery; and sustainable living. The crops of the greenhouse and gardens will be used in the culinary classes as ingredients. Students at MHSN will be able to come full circle with their ingredients as they farm the food, then cook and eat the food, all in their time at school.
Over the summertime, the greenhouse will be accessible to students and staff who want to tend the crops or take any of the harvest home with them. In the future, the goal is for the community to be able to use the crops grown in the greenhouse and garden just like the students.
“My goal this year was ‘Use your voice, share your vision, expand your versatility.’ I wanted to leave my legacy here. The greenhouse is just the start,” Cartier said. MHSN has taken other steps to green the school, like putting solar panels on the roof, composting and offering classes in animal re- production. And a chicken coop is on the school’s long- term green plan, according to Hobliztell.
