The new curriculum for Botany has done a total turnaround from the original one. Where once students were asked to learn facts from a text book like any average science class, students are now being taught 21st Century skills that would apply to any job career, as well as learning what it means to work in, manage or even own a florist shop. Being a completely new class there are things that go wrong that not even the teacher can fix right away, which allows students to trouble shoot issues that occur in labs.  For example, inside of the plant room there is a large hydroponics tank set up by the a group of students that once didn’t function, as well as a smaller hydroponics tank that was inoperable but now works and several pumps that now operate. 

Other then the practical skills that are being learned, Botany has started and completed several projects with plans to complete even more. The class has managed to obtain plants and split several plants including geraniums, blackberries, mums and a lot more. They are also growing vegetables from seeds as well as learning how to hydroponically grow seedlings.  The green house now has over 50 plants in it and is in the process of being cleaned and organized. There is also a rabbit cage inside of it that will be renovated.  We have two bunnies that students tend to and to gather their pellets for fertilizer for the plants. 

Future plans include building and planting community gardens, creating activities and curriculum that can be utilized by the local elementary and middle schools for field trips, raising chickens, investigating insect/plant interactions, creating window-farms for the school and many other exciting student-run projects.

  

Durfee Green Team