Something fishy: McGuffey School District starts aquaponics program
Fifth-grader Ashley Marino checks on a spinach plant at Joe Walker Elementary School.
Abby Shook, right, and other fifth-graders at Joe Walker Elementary School check on the roots of the plants in the float bed. That is part of the school’s aquaponics program, a method of farming being taught at Joe Walker Elementary School.
Students hold red worms that are an important part of the media bed. Bacteria and red worms convert harmful ammonia waste into safe, beneficial nitrates for plants in the aquaponics program.
This 110-gallon fish tank holds 27 tilapia. The fish waste is used to help plants grow as part of the aquaponics program at Joe Walker Elementary School.
A fifth-grader at Joe Walker Elementary School holds a spinach plant that students are growing in a float bed as part of their aquaponics program.
When you walk into the greenhouse behind Joe Walker Elementary School in South Franklin Township, you’re greeted by a 110-gallon tank filled with 27 large tilapia.
Next to the tank are long troughs covered by dozens of “rafts” on which a variety of greens, including parsley, rosemary and cabbage, are sprouting.
The tanks and the troughs, and the fish and the plants, are all connected by a complex pipe system.
The water from the fish tank is pumped through an irrigation system to feed and water the plants, which float on Styrofoam beds. The plants filter the water, which the fish fertilize with their waste, and the clean water is pumped back into the fish habitat.
The plants can’t live without the fish, and the fish can’t live without the plants.
Welcome to McGuffey School District’s aquaponics greenhouse, where students get hands-on experience in the future of sustainable farming.
“There’s so much more to farming today than just being on a tractor all day long,” said Dr. Laura Jacob, McGuffey assistant superintendent. “Agriculture is the number one industry in Pennsylvania, but farming today encompasses engineering and computer programming and chemistry and science. We want to show students all the facets of it.”
Consider aquaponics tank-to-table eating, a variation of the farm-to-table movement.
Aquaponics is an organic farming method that combines aquaculture, or fish farming, and hydroponics, the science of growing plants in water without soil.
Students can produce fish, fruit and vegetables year-round in the climate-controlled, close-looped system.
The Joe Walker greenhouse was funded by several grants, including a Highmark for Healthy Eating grant, a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) grant, and a grant from the Washington County Community Foundation. More than 30 students at Joe Walker and Claysville Elementary schools and McGuffey Middle School/High School underwent training to operate the greenhouse – and to teach their peers and teachers about aquaponics – but all students in grades K-12 get the opportunity to help run the aquaponics system.
Students often stay after school and come in on weekends to keep the system running and to figure out how to make it operate more efficiently.
“It’s their space, and the kids run this show, which is how it should be, and everyone has a role. Every morning, (students) come in, feed the fish, make sure everything is running well,” said Jacob, who noted elementary, middle school and high school students all have specific jobs that contribute to the operation of the greenhouse, from raising red worms (for composting) to planning a tilapia breeding station. “What I like about this is they’re learning sustainable agricultural practices. It’s a true, project-based experience and a very big responsibility. They’re getting a hands-on experience growing their own food, dealing with problems as they come up, and learning about their connection to the world. And it’s cross-curricular, so they’re using chemistry, science, computer science and health to do it.”
Mindy Anderson, 9, a fourth-grader, eagerly gave a tour of the greenhouse, explaining how the aquaponics system operates.
“It’s pretty cool. It’s fish and plants working together, and there’s no dirt involved,” said Anderson. “It’s an efficient way to grow food. I love it.”
And what becomes of the tilapia?
“We’re having a fish fry here at the elementary school,” said Jacob. “We’ll also use the spinach and other greens that we’re growing. That’s the purpose of aquaponics.”