Chester County High School students go green

HENDERSON, Tenn. — Local high school students are using their education to go green.

Chester County High School students are getting an education on where food comes from and how they can grow it at home.

The garden shed behind Chester County High School looks like an ordinary building, but on the inside students are getting a very unique education.

“This is more of trying to teach our students where food comes from, and how they can grow a healthier food, and it’s a lot about sustainability as well,” said greenhouse teacher Teresa Crouse.

Because Crouse also teaches biology, she is able to relate what the students do in the greenhouse class to what they learn in biology.

Students at Chester County High School are not just planting things in soil to help them grow, but they’re also using hydroponics, and even aquaponics, which uses fish waste to give their plants the nutrients.

Students started working on their worm boxes for composting.

Lakelyn Eskew, a senior at the high school, said he didn’t know what to expect when he signed up for the class, but is now excited to take what he’s learned out of the classroom.

“Doing all the hydroponics stuff, and trying to do that, as in not having soil or the space to do it outside. I can bring it inside into a shop or garage and do it there,” Eskew said.

Gracen McClain, another senior at the high school, says this class is helping her make the world a better place.

“As the world gets bigger and the population grows, our land becomes less, so it’ll be a lot easier if everyone starts learning this way. Then we’ll have a better chance to grow food,” McClain said.

The greenhouse is also teaming up with the culinary class to learn how to cook the things they are growing.

The school also started a schoolwide composting initiative Friday.

They’ll be using food waste from lunch and the classrooms to compost.