It’s in real life, not a test tube, where science and good works are getting mixed into something beautiful at Holy Trinity School in Beaverton.
Throughout the winter, eighth graders in Sarah Woodward’s class have been growing hydroponic lettuce – no soil required. And they’ve been donating the harvest to the parish food bank.
Across Oregon, food insecurity is on the rise. The Oregon Food Bank has seen a 31% increase in the number of people needing help.
“I could do this, when I grow up, in my home,” eighth-grader Andrew Contreras told KGW television. “Even if I don’t have a huge space for growing.”
The hydroponic system was donated by parishioners Ted Wright and Mary Wright.
Students at first thought it was tanning bed or refrigerator. But once they caught on, they were all in.
The mix of water-bound gardening and generosity is being expanded to all 300 students at the school.
“They’re not just learning something for the sake of learning,” Woodward told KGW. “They’re learning something for the sake of benefitting their community.”
“I feel like we’re doing something that could eventually become even bigger and could reach more people,” said eighth-grader Emily Erpelding.