Perry’s Green Dream

In late April of 2009, the Perry Elementary School 5^th & 6^th grade class started working on a creative project. The students were given the following question: “ How can we help our school, community and environment?” Students brainstormed with many different ideas ranging from a basketball recycling game, wind turbine and a greenhouse. Students voted for the construction of a school greenhouse. Students wanted to grow their own fresh organic produce to be used in the school’s cafeteria.

The main obstacle in the green house project was funding the project. School budgets are very limited in the funding of extra resources and projects. The students were given the task of finding grants to help with the purchase and construction of a school greenhouse. The students found some grants that promoted both school activities but also community projects. The students all worked together to right the grant proposals. Another obstacle was how to maintain the greenhouse in the summer. Perry has an excellent 4-H program (The Quoddy Kids). We contacted, 4-H leader and school board member, Denise Harris. Mrs. Harris and her 4-H crew do many projects in which they study plants. The greenhouse will help reinforce many of their growing lessons. Mrs. Harris also volunteered to help us with the project proposal. We were successful in our applications to three separate grant-funding entities, The Maine Community Foundation, Maine Agriculture in the Classroom and The Perloff Family Foundation.

The funding from the Maine Community Foundation came from the Washington County Fund. This is a grant used for community projects. This fund also supported the building of the outdoor basketball courts at the school (2007). The fees from the Agriculture license plates support the Maine Agriculture in the Classroom fund. It supports programs that build upon agriculture being taught in the school using hands-on products. The Perloff Family Fund supports innovative projects in the local schools. The Perloff Family has supported Perry Elementary School projects for many years. They have funded the LEGO Robotics program and all of the online video projects at the school.

Our original proposal involved the purchase of a greenhouse kit from a hardware store. The kit we were going to use was a durable structure, but it would only allow us a limited growing season. Denise brought a new type of greenhouse to our attention, a year round greenhouse. This is a greenhouse modeled after a greenhouse at Brooksville Elementary School built by The Greenhouse Project, a program started by Tom Adamo and Tony Ferrera. The year round greenhouse would allow us the opportunity to grow fresh vegetables throughout the school year. The greenhouse will be an energy efficient 16’ X 16’ stick built greenhouse that costs roughly $50 a year to heat (based on Brooksville numbers). The framing for the greenhouse consists of a 6 X 6 X 16 base, 2 X 6 knee walls, and 2 X 4 rafters. The north wall consists of T111. The roof of the north wall is finished with 30-year architectural shingles. The east, west, and south walls are tied together with polycarbonate sheets. There are two steel exterior doors (east and west) and heat activated vents. The growing beds are be heated by using the hot air at the peak of the greenhouse. The heating system involves using perforated pipe and crushed stone at the base of the beds. Along the north wall and the peak, we have 6-inch dryer vent pipe that is fed into a galvanized “ T”. Where the perforated pipe and 6-inch pipe come together we have an inline fan controlled by a thermostat. When the temperature in the greenhouse goes below the set temperature, the fan will be activated. The fan will pull the hot air from the gable peak and distribute the air throughout the pipes. The hot air from the pipes will heat the rocks, thus heating the beds. We have also added another heating dimension to our project. We put PEX tubing and crushed stone in one of the beds. We are looking at installing a solar panel that will heat the liquid (propylene glycol) and then circulate that hot liquid through the PEX tubing. The Solar and PEX method will have the same radiant heating of the stones as the hot air system, but it will give us another variable to study. We will be able to see which system is more effective and efficient.

The Perry Elementary School Greenhouse Project has been a true community effort. Students worked with Dean Preston, a civil engineer, on the site selection process. Students surveyed three sites on the school grounds. The students ranked each of the sites based on ground level and composition, water availability, microclimate, solar exposure, and aesthetics. During this process, Mr. Preston showed the students how to use the various tools of his trade and the importance of each of the elements.

Once the site was selected, the groundwork needed to be completed. Dean Preston, Shawn Harris, Denise Harris, Lee Harris, and the Perry Town crew (Stanley Morrill and Tate Stevens) did the groundwork. The groundwork crew along with Richard Clark, of Clark’s Plumbing and Heating, laid the piping for the heating system and set up the knee walls (built by Shawn Harris). Tommy Pottle, of Pembroke Lumber Company, cut the lumber used for the greenhouse construction. Paul Mitchell, of Mitchell’s Electric, is going to lay the conduit, wire and hooked up the electricity. The construction of the greenhouse was completed by parent and community volunteers: Shawn Harris, Denise Harris, Lee Harris, Dean Preston, Cody Preston, Richard Clark, Stephanie Allard, Brian Duffy, and John Turner. The polycarbonate panels were ordered through the Washington County Food and Fuel Alliance, under the direction of Washington County Manager, Betsy Fitzgerald. Dr. Reeser Manley, of Shead High School, has been consulted on soil mixtures. Coast of Maine donated the compost mix. Richard East, of The Growing Concern, is going to work with the students on planting the crops. Tom Adamo and Tony Ferrera provided guidance and support throughout the project.

Perry’s Green Dream is a program that can teach lessons across the curriculum, throughout all grade levels, and throughout the community. This is a project that teaches or reinforces concepts for all learning styles, Visual Learners, Auditory Learners, and Kinesthetic Learners. Students use practical hands-on applications of classroom instruction. To ensure project sustainability, students are going to sell the surplus produce and compost soil at the Mustang Market, a student run farmer's market. Students will use the funds, from the market, for the purchase of additional materials and greenhouse maintenance. Perry Elementary School students and the Quoddy Kids will be responsible for the planting, maintaining, and harvesting of the crops. This is a true school and community endeavor. Our Green Dream is also going to be used as a model for our community. We hope to demonstrate to the community how to grow fresh produce year round at a very low cost.