Green Thumbs Harvest Second Place Finish for Middle School South Students

It was a short trip to Monmouth University for a group of eighth graders from Middle School South but the $800 second place prize they brought home from the Stars Science Competition this month more than paid for the gas mileage to the prestigious event.

Under the guidance of Danielle Gianelos the students studied a variety of areas including Hydroponics, Aquaponics and soil-based agriculture to see which worked fastest and produced the healthiest and most efficient crops. It was trial and error but the students saw the fruits of their labor with plants like chives, catnip and basil sprouting in the school’s garden.

Gianelos said she was proud of the work her students accomplished through their various projects. “These kids want to change the world, and they are learning that it takes a lot of small changes to add up to big ones,” she said. The Ramtown middle school takes part in Eco-Schools, which is an international program working to help teachers inform their students about the benefits of sustainable principles in the schools and in their curriculum.

Curtis Fisher, Northeast Regional Executive Director of the National Wildlife Federation said he was glad to see those lessons being put to good use. “Eco-Schools commends and congratulates M. Danielle Gianelos and the students of Howell Middle School South for making New Jersey more sustainable and developing their science knowledge by growing plants and interacting with nature.” Fisher added he hoped, “other schools follow Howell’s example.”

Gianelos’ students have been working hard all year to make Middle School South as environmentally friendly as possible. They recently undertook an online survey to see just how much paper was being used in the school. Another group of students is using a “KILL-O-WATT” meter, which measures electricity waste in the classroom and looking at ways to reduce that in the future.

With their lessons from the garden the students have worked with their teachers and the administration to find ways to make food in the school healthier for their fellow classmates. That includes the start of “healthy snack Friday,” which is held once a month in the school.