Middletown High School North just received a $10,000 grant from Sustainable Jersey for Schools.
Middletown North will spend the grant on its Outdoor Learning Lab, said North principal Patricia Vari-Cartier. This is an indoor/outdoor greenhouse where students grow plants and learn about ecology.
"The Sustainable Jersey for Schools grant will enable Middletown North to install a heat sink within our greenhouse, which will enable us to regulate the temperature during the winter months to extend the growing season," explained Vari-Cartier. "In addition, we will install an aquaponics system by building a large-scale koi pond that will serve as a source of water and nutrients for the plants."
"The water from the koi pond will be circulated through the greenhouse aquaponics system," she continued. "With the heat sink in place, at the end of the local growing season, projects started in the fall can be transferred to the greenhouse for continuation throughout the winter. Similarly, projects intended to be completed in the outdoor garden can be started earlier inside the greenhouse and then moved outside."
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