Theresa Thompson, an agriculture teacher at Stuarts Draft High School, thought getting the funding for a greenhouse would be a challenge.
As it turned out, getting support for the project and for expanding the agriculture and vocational classes as a result, was the easy part. A few computers were not replaced to save money, and the school division’s agriculture budget was able to cover the $26,000 equipment cost for greenhouse.
Now everything Thompson needs to get the greenhouse up and running — the building, the electrical and heating systems — sits in boxes at the school. The hard part it seems, is getting the funding to construct the greenhouse, Thompson said.
Estimates suggest that the Thompson and her co-agriculture teacher, Barry Gray, need to raise about $35,000 in order to pay for the construction of the greenhouse.