In a horticulture class three years ago, a student asked "Can we get some gardens? Like a greenhouse?" Now that seventh grader's initiative has blossomed into a state-of-the-art outdoor learning space at Tates Creek Middle School (TCMS). Fayette County Public Schools, in collaboration with Kentucky State University, hosted an April 2 ribbon-cutting ceremony and tours of the greenhouse and land lab to celebrate.
The space will be an outdoor classroom for gardening, floral production, and agriscience research while enabling students to give back by providing locally grown, healthy food to community neighbors.
"This was about creating a space where learning feels real," said agriscience teacher Eli Parham. "This space represents access and opportunity. And it's all driven by curiosity and student leaders."
Avery Adams, now a sophomore at Tates Creek High and Locust Trace AgriScience Center, has seen the possibilities become realities. "That question became a conversation, and that conversation became an idea, and that idea became a blueprint," he recalled. "People really came together to make this happen."
After Avery's spark, Parham and his students connected with Kentucky State (KSU), which brought Farm Credit Mid-America to the table. With that partner support, our students helped create the vision for the project, pitch the idea to potential sponsors, design the layout, and build the outdoor classroom. The groundbreaking was in December 2024.
Now classes will study a variety of farming methods such as hydroponics, aeroponics, and aquaponics, which are among the most productive avenues of food production. Students will also get hands-on training in safe-handling of food, sales of food, and farm financial management. "We can learn how food is grown and how agriculture affects us all," said eighth grader Ajong Kemcha.
Additionally, nearby residents will receive the TCMS fresh produce, and Kentucky State will send people to show them how to cook healthy meals with carrots, cabbage, radishes, peppers, and more. KSU will also supply eggs for incubation and chicks for the coop, where a few birds are already thriving. "We'll have each stage of life, which makes it so much fun," eighth grader Emalyn Motsch said as guests toured the grounds.
Ajong is also excited about how the greenhouse and garden will benefit neighbors around their school. "This is another thing Tates Creek can add to its list of achievements," he said. "This can elevate us."
Source: Fayette County Public Schools
