Farming In The Suburbs: Massapequa Students Get A Hands-On Experience

“Where does food come from?” That question is the impetus behind Massapequa High School’s Go Green class, a popular elective that gives students a hands-on learning experience with indoor and outdoor horticulture projects.

Health and physical education teacher Michael LaBella started the course five years ago and in that time it has grown from one class of 12 students to eight classes totaling 130 students. They maintain two outdoor classrooms. In a small courtyard, there is a greenhouse, 19 vegetable boxes, a flower bed, chicken run and compost pile. The east side of the school has an orchard with grafted fruit trees.

During the winter, students focus on a hydroponic wall and tower, which collectively have 125 spots to grow basil, lettuce and parsley. There is also a compost box with worms.

Now that the warmer weather has arrived, they have been working outdoors. In the courtyard, students planted beans, broccoli, kale, peas and tomatoes. Mr. LaBella said that the process begins in the greenhouse before the plants are transferred to the beds.

They also maintain the fruit trees, which were planted last year, and grow peaches, pears and different varieties of apples. Students water and prune the trees, which produce fruit every fall. They also weed the area around the trees.

“The point of the class is that I want students to know where their food comes from,” Mr. LaBella said. “It doesn’t come from a supermarket. It comes from a gardener or a farmer.”

Mr. LaBella shares his own experiences as a farmer, as he manages a 365-acre farm in Pennsylvania, where he spends much of his summer. He also teaches students about the economics of agriculture, as students host periodic farmer’s markets at school to sell the fresh food they produce. The money they raise goes back into the class budget to prepare for the next year’s batch of crops.

“I like that it’s a hands-on class and you get to work outside,” said 10th-grader Kiersten Farrell. “I’ve learned a lot of tips on how to have the best garden I could possibly have.”

Rob Coll, also in 10th grade, said his favorite days are when they work outside in the courtyard or at the fruit trees.

“You get to move around, work with your hands and breathe some fresh air,” he said.

As a culminating activity, each student plans and plants a garden at home, using the knowledge they have gained throughout the school year. Mr. LaBella said that the project takes about two months and students document the progress of their gardens.

—Submitted by the Massapequa School District