Inside: B2, Peggy Dills Kelter,I B3, Happenings anniversaries I B5, Yesteryears I B6, Classifieds I

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

B1

Growing vines,

growing young minds

Photo by Adam Lapierre

HRMS greenhouse and Gorge Grown Kids projects flourish

The big question is how does the Gorge Grown Kids program advance economic independence? Well, this summer the children grew food, built a cob oven from local resources and developed entrepreneurial projects within our neighborhood
By SARAH SEGAL
Hood River Middle School

As students tended to their maturing vegetables, The President needs to solve the economic crisis! resounded a middle school voice from across the garden. A conversation quickly followed, drawing interest of numerous young gardeners. How can individuals succeed with the current economic constraints? How can communities move away from government dependency towards greater localized sustainability? Gorge Grown Kids is a grant-funded program supported by the Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital Foundation in cooperation with the Hood River County School District. Through an additional partnership with Gorge Grown Food Network, students participate in developing skills for building local economic success. It is designed to cultivate healthy life choices in adolescence through growing and cooking fresh foods, gaining small business experience, engaging in art projects and appreciating summers in the Gorge with fishing- and swimming-filled afternoons. In addition, discovering environmental and economic changes in the Columbia River Gorge through a Condit Dam visit, just days before removal began. Getting better is the encouraged philosophy of Michael Becker, the Gorge Grown Kids (also known as Family and Consumer Sciences) program developer and coordinator. Students challenge themselves to be your best person each morning in a community circle by determining their individual role in the days goals, practicing an established yoga routine and increasing daily pushups and sit-ups. On the programs first day in June students began with two pushups and five sit-ups. On the final day, eight weeks

later, it was bumped to 29 pushups and 60 sit-ups. Austyn Polzel, a Hood River Valley High School sophomore, exemplifies the Gorge Grown Kids getting better ripple effect. Four years ago, Austyn began developing his entrepreneurship knowledge by growing and selling crops through the Hood River Middle School garden proram. Recognizing the potential for additional prosperity, Austyn now propagates a home garden to sell produce at the Thursday afternoon farmers market, coinciding with his FFA project. Every year, the program and facility evolve. With the immeasurable guidance of James Sid Saunders, an intern from England this summer students diligently built a cob oven from scratch, over the course of five weeks. During the Thursday farmers market, in addition to selling fresh produce at the Hood River Middle School booth, the Gorge Grown Kids administer tours highlighting the LEED Certified science and music building, greenhouse, cob oven, production garden, arboretum and much more. The big question is how does the Gorge Grown Kids program advance economic independence? Well, this summer the children grew food, built a cob oven from local resources, and developed entrepreneurial projects within our neighborhood. For the last two years this program has been successfully implemented, and participants hope for continued advancements through the Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital Foundation and community support, to serve future generations. The Gorge Grown Kids project models the community development process by including kids, businesses and community members. How do Gorge Kids grow? Through a community that cares and works together!

A virtual tour of the Hood River Middle School science and music building, greenhouse and garden area features an abundance of unique and intriguing educational opportunities. Pictures include (top) Wenceslao Bolanos harvesting beans and the recently completed science and music building. As a LEED platinum building, the majority of the structure is reclaimed from the deconstructed bus barn, is geothermally heated and reclaims rainwater in a 14,000-gallon catch tank. The building won first place in a national competition for innovative architecture. Above, the courtyard/amphitheater area is used for morning yoga, led by instructor Sarah Segal. Above left, Michael Guzman waters plants in the greenhouse, which was built with a passive solar design to sustain heat. Students learn about biological energy systems, compost foods using vermiculture (worms) and are currently designing an aquaculture system for future tilapia harvest. At left, top to bottom: A cob oven, constructed by HRMS students, will ensure the final step in the seed-to-table greenhouse project. Students will now be able to bake pizzas loaded with HRMS garden-grown veggies on-site. Students involved in the project include (left to right) Michael Naranjo, Skyler Maden, Owen Stolte, mentor builder Sid Saunders and Joey Slover. The school garden, being harvested by Nick Poe and Ian Murphy, has endless potential, yielding produce, fruits and vegetables as well as valuable hands-on lessons in a variety of subjects. In their Gorge Grown Kids shirts are students Maria Lachino, Claire Hamada, Dominique Borrego and Owen Stolte Also on the property is a seasonal wetland with an on-site stormwater containment system that provides a home for native plants and increases the sites biodiversity. Finally, an arboretum was built to increase wildlife habitat, house indigenous plants and provide a schoolyard laboratory. The arboretum also creates natural stormwater storage.

Photos by Sarah Segal and Julie Raefield-Gobbo