Learning Science, Math, English, and Business, simply by growing chili peppers.
That’s what students at Sir James Dunn Academy in Saint Andrews are doing, according to science teacher Seth Richardson, after successfully growing fifty red hot chili pepper plants in the school greenhouse.
Richardson tells us how it all got started, “It started through a colleague of mine and he loves chili peppers, but its frustrating for him because he’s not able to grow them in our climate. Simply because the chili peppers take six to seven months in most cases to grow and produce peppers.” He says his colleague knew a couple from Thailand, and through friends he was able to get some seeds from a few dried heirloom chili peppers.
He says one third of the greenhouse is a fully heated and insulated propagation room where they can completely control the environment for the plants.
Now that they’ve grown some healthy plants, they’re selling them off, “It’s been really neat to see how the students are able to learn across all aspects of the curriculum whether it be science, business, English, or math and even engineering, there are so many different aspects that are available to the students, and there is a huge entrepreneurial opportunity that the kids are taking advantage of.”
Richardson says all the revenue is put back into maintaining the greenhouse, and its starting to become self sustainable. “We don’t make any profit off of it. All of the revenues are put back into maintaining the greenhouse as well as supplies. So it’s kind of interesting how its starting to become self sustainable.
Richardson says they’ve already sold twenty of the plants to residents and local restaurants, and they also sell tomatoes which is their prime seller.
He says their goal over the next three years is to make enough revenue to get the greenhouse off the grid entirely and using solar technology.
If you’re interested in making a purchase, you can contact Sir James Dunn Academy, or make an online order by clicking HERE
(Photo credit: Anglophone South School District)
