Specialty Crop

Dubois K–12 students participate in a variety of activities as part of the school’s Outdoor Education program, including horticulture and gardening. They grow vegetables, herbs, fruits, and pollinators in a greenhouse and outdoor raised beds. There are age-specific and mixed-group activities. For example, juniors and seniors conduct soil tests and ensure the temperature and humidity in the greenhouse are ideal for growing conditions. They also plan the beds in terms of which plants do well together and perform best in the challenging Dubois growing conditions. Younger students in each grade level are assigned a bed to plant and take care of, and among the many things they learn is responsibility.

Produce is used for the school lunch program. And each September students, teachers, staff, and parents participate in a festival, and some of the foods served are from the garden. “Homemade salsa from the tomatoes is among the favorites,” says science teacher Samantha Schwessinger.