Hydroponics science class to grow via grant education
Middle school program teaches problem solving
By JEREMY MARGOLIS Monitorstaff
WhenstudentsatMerrimack ValleyMiddleSchoolreturnedto sixth-gradescienceteacherKristen BeanWarren’sclassroomonthe WednesdayafterMemorialDay weekend,theyencounteredamystery.
Vegetableplantsgerminatingina hydroponicgrowingsysteminthe classroomsinceMarch–greenand healthy-lookingthepreviousFriday –hadsuddenlywitheredand turnedbrown.Something–butit wasnotimmediatelyclearwhat–hadhappenedduringtheprevious fivedays.
“Isitarootproblem?Isitanutrientproblem?Isitalight problem?”BeanWarrenaskedthe ninestudentsintheexploratory
3 MYCONCORD S a t u rd a y , June29 , 2024
JEREMY MARGOLIS/ Monitor staff
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Merrimack Valley Middle School sixth grade science teacher Kristen Bean Warren guides students through emptying the water in their hydroponic growing system on May 29.
class,aquarterlyelectiveprogramthatMVMS offersitsstudents.“Youneedtocometoaconclusionofwhatourplantsarelacking.”
Theincorporationofhands-onagricultural projectsintoBeanWarren’ssciencecourses beganin2020andhasgrownlittlebylittlesince. Nextyear,itwillblossom.Lastweek,Bean Warrensecureda$6,000grantfromtheU.S.DepartmentofAgriculture’sFarmtoSchoolprogramtointroduceahydroponicgrowingsystem intothemiddleschool’sgreenhouse,andtoupgradethegreenhouseinotherways.
ThegrantwillallowBeanWarrentoexpand theagriculture-relatedgrowingopportunitiesin herclass,aswellasintegratethemintoother coursesatMVMS,includingthefoodsandnutritionclass.Eventually,shehopesthegreenhouse willalsoproduceenoughfoodtosupplythe middleschoolcafeteriaandasmallfoodpantry attheMerrimackValleyLearningCenterinPenacook.
Atfirst,thegreenhousewillfocusprimarilyon growingsaladgreens,beforeexpandingtoother vegetables,suchascucumbersandtomatoes, BeanWarrensaid.
Theagriculturaleducationcurriculumthat BeanWarrenhasdevelopedcombinesexperientiallearningaboutplantbiologyandfoodpro-
ductionwithunitsonclimatechange,natural history,andtechnology.Insixthgradescience,a majorfocusisthescientificmethod,aconcept thatlendsitselfwelltothetrialanderrorof growingvegetables.
“Proposeyourhypothesis,observewhat’s happening,collectyourdata,trialit,revisewhat you’vedoneandthentestagain,”BeanWarren described.
Asthestudentsdugintosolvingthemystery behindwhytheirplantshadsuddenlywiltedin lateMay,theycycledthroughthesesteps.
First,theytestedthetemperature,acidity,nitratelevel,andalkalinityofthewaterandthelumensintheartificiallightsourceshiningdown ontheplants.Acoupleabnormalfindings caughttheirattention:Thenitratelevelhad risenandthepH–ameasureofacidity–ofthe waterinthehydroponicsystemhaddropped, bothsignsalgaehadbeguntogrowinthewater system.
BeanWarrenpresentedthreepotentialinterventions:Theycouldtransplanttheirplantsinto dirt,theycouldtransplantthemintoanotherhydroponicsystemthatwouldallowformoreindividualizedcontrol,ortheycouldaddnutrients tothecurrenthydroponicsystem.
Aftersomediscussion,thestudentselectedto gowiththethirdoption,completelychanging
theplants’watersupplyforthefirsttimesince theyhadoriginallybeenplantedtwomonths earlier.Becausethewatertravelscircularly aroundtherectangularsystem,theprocessof gettingtheoldwateroutprovedarduous:they twistedandtippedtheplasticsystem,atone pointresortingtopipettesforaparticularlychallengingcorner.Finally,asthethe50-minute classblockcametoaclose,theyrefilledthe basin,addednutrientstothenewwater,and reattachedthepump.
Twoweekslater,BeanWarrenprovidedan update:Theplantshadmadeafullrecovery.
“Theywereabletorecapturethewater throughtherootsandrebuildtheirstructureand kindofgrowtheirstemstrongagain,”Bean Warrensaid.
Asschoolcomestoanendthisweek,thestudentshavetransplantedandtakentheirplants home.Withanyluck,beforethestudentsenter seventhgradeinthefall,theywillbeabletoharvestcucumbers,snowpeas,andbasilfromhome gardensacrosstheMerrimackValleytowns.It willbebutaharbingerofwhatistocomenext yearandbeyondwithanexpandedgreenhouse atthemiddleschool.
JeremyMargoliscanbecontactedatjmargolis@ cmonitor.com.
Kristen Bean Warren, science teacher
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“Propose your hypothesis, observe what’s happening, collect your data, trial it, revise what you’ve done and then test again.
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“SHE GAVE ME MY LIFE BACK.”
Local clinic has a modern, medical solution to treat your Peripheral Neuropathy And is seeing incredible results!
“It started out as a normal outing. My wife and I had to run to the grocery store. We were driving down the road casually going over our shopping list when the car ahead of me started to slow down anticipating the yellow light. I started to move my foot from the gas to the brake as any normal person would do when they see brake lights in front of them, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t feel my foot. The car kept moving forward and I just couldn’t get my foot on the brake and CRUNCH! I finally came to a stop when I hit the car in front of me.”
Care Rooted in Empathy and Experience
This tragic story was shared with us by Mike S., a New Hampshire resident who has Peripheral Neuropathy. While no one was hurt in this accident, Mike S. had suffered almost every day of his life with tingling and burning in his feet until numbness set in, and he could no longer feel even the brake pedal beneath his foot.
“The first stage is pain.” Shares Dr. Kristen Markwith of Trend Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine. “You feel burning, tingling, sharp pains, or you feel like you’re walking on tacks or marbles. This pain eventually subsides and the numbness sets in. Unfortunately, the numbness brings with it a whole other host of problems.”
This was the case with Mike. “I said I wasn’t going to drive again. What if that had been a pedestrian?”
It is terribly common that peripheral neuropathy and its debilitating symptoms interfere with a person’s ability to live their life. Mike was now reliant on his wife to drive him around, even the simple pleasure of cruising downtown or taking her to dinner was outside his capabilities. And even more common, Mike’s general practitioner and several specialists told him there was nothing they could do other than to prescribe him pills that would ease the pain of his neuropathy.
That’s where Dr. Markwith and her staff at Trend come in. “About 80% of our current patients come to us suffering from the same condition as Mike,” tells Dr. Markwith.
Your Golden Years Should Be Golden
“They’re in constant pain from neuropathy and it prevents them from not only living their lives but more importantly, it prevents them from enjoying it. Depending on the severity of their nerve damage, we typically see tremendous progress in 3-4 months of treatment. I like to say we’re in the business of making your golden years golden.”
“I can’t lie,” confides Mike. “I was skeptical at first. So many specialists told me there was nothing that could be done and then there’s a doctor right here in Concord tells me she can help. Turns out she was right! About three months after treatment I was able to confidently drive myself to my appointments! My wife and I celebrated by buying ourselves a new car. It’s hard to put into words how incredible this is, quite frankly [Dr. Kristen] gave me my life back.”
While Trend Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine specializes in acupuncture and it’s definitely part of their protocols in treating neuropathy, the real secret is in a more modern medical solution called ATP Resonance BioTherapy™. “This technology was originally developed by NASA to expedite healing and recovery,” shares Mikayla, Director of Patient Care at the clinic. “It’s like watering a plant. ATP Resonance BioTherapy™ stimulates the blood vessels to grow back around the peripheral nerve and provide them the proper nutrients to heal and repair.”
You can learn more about Dr. Markwith and the work at Trend by visiting www.TrendAcupuncture.com.
12 MYCONCORD S a t u rd a y , June29 , 2024
Call (603)-456-8294 to Schedule a Complimentary Consultation.
A local Doctor provides truly compassionate care and proven solutions for chronic pain and complicated conditions.
