Sixth graders grow green thumbs

Joe Johnston, sixth grade teacher at Saratoga Elementary School (SES), recently completed building a greenhouse for with his class in order to grow their knowledge about agriculture.

The project began last year when Johnston applied for a grant to purchase the greenhouse, part of which came from the Wyoming Department of Agriculture. "Part of the grant was written that we would use it for fundraising classes and different organizations," Johnston said, adding that the amaryllis flowers currently grown by his students will be sold as a fundraiser for the end of the year trip.

According to the United States National Arboretum, amaryllis flowers are increasingly popular gifts for the holidays because the bulbs bloom very freely indoors. Native to tropical and subtropical areas of the Americas, amaryllis are large and showy, coming in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes.

Johnston said that Doggett Greenhouse, of Encampment, donated soil and time by coming down to teach the students how to plant. The school has helped with any supplies that had not been donated. There will be continuous projects in the greenhouse throughout the seasons.

Right now, the students are bringing the plants out to the greenhouse in the morning and taking them inside at night, because at this time there is no heater for the structure. Johnston said that the project has been a learning experience in many ways because many of the sixth graders have never grown anything. They are learning the growing process from the bulb to the plant, caring for their project along the way.