By Angelina McDuffie, Journalism student at GWCFC
At George Washington Carver Freshman Campus (GWCFC), the agriculture class takes pride in providing fresh vegetables for fellow students at lunch and for the surrounding community. The class, led by teacher Mr. Spencer Highsmith, has a multitude of local resources for running the operation such as their own greenhouse meaning they can stay in operation all year long. The students tend to the garden as if it were their own. While giving the produce to the school for a healthy meal, the locals are also shown love with free veggies and the students in this class learn responsibility of a farmer and why they mean so much to people’s day-to-day life.
GWCFC allows students an option of one of the meals cooked by the lunchroom staff or a salad bar with many veggies grown right in the school’s gardens. Most students go for a hot lunch, but those who prefer the savory salad are never disappointed. The agriculture class preps the veggies after weeks of caring for them and sends them directly to the cafeteria where the staff gets them ready for the show; the show being a lunchroom full of hungry kids, that is.
The core component to a healthy mind is a healthy student, and what better way to achieve that than to allow fellow students to learn valuable skills when providing for their classmates. Some items, such as bell peppers and eggplants, are the basics but aren’t the most difficult thing the class will create. At the beginning of the year Highsmith’s students went through the process of making their very own hot sauce. Along with being a spicy hit with the teachers, the makers learned about the effort put forth when making something seemingly simple. They had to grow their own peppers and, with guidance from their teacher, picked, prepared, and mixed up some flavorful goodness. The hot sauce was enjoyed by the children themselves and the locals lucky enough to get their hands on the homemade, bottled zest.
Highsmith stated, “I want my students to experience first-hand how to grow, care for, harvest, and safely prepare their food so that they can be advocates for the agriculture industry.” America is a large country with a large population that needs to be fed. Farmers play a very important role in everyone’s daily ritual of breakfast or dinner as people balance school, work, and other necessary deeds in order to grow food for the week following.
The agriculture class teaches the kids about farmers and how they are truly needed. While students can pick up on another recreational activity, those who choose agriculture contribute to the well-being of healthy citizens. Students taking this class are taught how to plant, tend to their personal crops, grow large and successful plants, pick, and give to the community. With the responsibility of growing fresh veggies for the school, potential future farmers are born and exposed to the wide range of knowledge needed to be the very best.