Students in Perry Harvest Lettuce Crop for Class

by Catherine Pegram, WABI-TV - March 29th 2011 10:42pm

Perry - Some elementary school students Downeast are literally reaping what they've sown.

Last fall, kids at Perry Elementary built a year-round greenhouse.

Tuesday, their hard work provided a very tasty lunch.

Welcome to Perry's Green Dream - the result of months of work by 5th and 6th graders.

With the help of teacher Dan Morang, the students came up with the idea for this green house as a way to help the school, the community and the environment.

Sixth grader Katelyn Mitchell says, "It's really interesting and you can grow a lot of stuff and it's a nice project."

The project uses all aspects of classroom learning - from writing grants to pay for the greenhouse construction to watching the garden grow.

"In math, the students come out and measure the plants. They're also going to have a farmer's market where they're going to sell the excess plants to help raise money to keep the program sustainable."

Morang says the solar structure is also a first of its kind in Washington County, because its expected to produce a crop all year long.

Fifth grader Ethan Lank says, "We have a heating system and we have a fan that when it gets too hot, the thermostat turns on and it sucks all the hot air down and it puts it in the pipe under the beds and heats the rocks."

Fifth grader Timmy Olson adds, "It's fun - we get to experience how to garden and stuff. So if we ever want to do it at home, we can."

Once the students harvest their lettuce crop, it's off to the cafeteria for a lunch lesson.

After some sorting and cleaning, they put together the final result - a Mustang Mix Salad, named in honor of the school mascot.

Morang says the special menu item is a chance for everyone to eat what they've learned.

He hopes it doesn't stop there.

"It's gonna save the school money, but hopefully these kids will take these lessons and take them home, maybe start their own gardens at home and help their families - showing them the benefits of growing your own vegetables and eating healthy."

The students have set up web cams in the greenhouse to catch all of the growing in action.