Pine Grove Middle School life science teacher Zach Hurley creates a natural classroom environment in the school’s food forest area, which includes a new greenhouse and hydroponics/aquaponics system.
Pine Grove Middle School: BLAST Off with STEM
Students at Pine Grove Middle (PGM) are taking STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education to new heights.
One of three middle schools within Lowndes County Schools, PGM received a $700,000 Innovation Fund Implementation BLAST (Boosting Learning through Authentic STEM Teaching) grant from the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement.
The BLAST grant is being used to create hands-on curriculum that reinforces STEM content and helps students develop and strengthen critical thinking, communication, problem-solving, and self-management skills. The grant is also assisting teachers in creating innovative STEM course content and applied language experience, as well as demonstrating real-world lessons that connect STEM concepts beyond the classroom.
With funds from the BLAST grant, PGM was able to construct a new STEM lab.
“The students will use our new STEM lab where they can identify a problem; design, create, and develop a solution; and realize that failure and error correction are part of the design process,” said Tammi Sims, PGM instructional coach. “The new greenhouse and hydroponics lab are finished. In addition to these structures, this school year an outdoor STEM classroom will be built so that elementary school children can come to campus, tour, and complete activities in the food forest or greenhouse as PGM STEM students serve as peer tutors/teachers.”
STEM-focused learning is not limited to the academic school year. As part of the BLAST grant, PGM hosted its first STEM Summer Institute this year, providing 75 rising fourth through eighth-grade students with activities focused on engineering and robotics, coding, and agriculture.
The students were able to collaborate, plan, design, and problem-solve with their peers while building boats, bridges, and robots and working in the school’s food forest.
“PGM’s STEM camp was all that we hoped it would be—innovative, hands-on, and the use of applied learning,” said PGM Principal Ivy Smith. “Teachers and students alike were excited, enthusiastic, and engaged.”
Life science teacher Zach Hurley enjoys creating a natural classroom environment. During the summer institute, he enlightened the students on developing a healthy respect for where food comes from and the importance of agriculture.
“One of the best parts of my job is getting to see the children try new things,” said Hurley, who admits he did not grow up on a farm but has acquired an appreciation for agriculture. “My job is to teach life science. What I am trying to do is connect two things that I am extremely passionate about—that is teaching and growing food.”
BLAST grant funding also allowed PGM to construct a greenhouse that includes a hydroponics and aquaponics learning that will help increase the students’ awareness of the scientific aspects of agriculture. Hydroponics (a subset of hydroculture) is the method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions in water (without soil). The aquaponics system incorporates raising aquatic animals such as fish and shrimp in tanks.
“Outside in the labs, the students can see what we are talking about in the classroom,” Hurley said. “Growing the vegetables and using the hydroponics is not something we have to do as part of the curriculum, but it works with the curriculum. We are connecting science to agriculture.”
According to Smith, PGM is working toward STEM program certification through the Georgia Department of Education and is currently finalizing its third year of implementation, with plans to invite the certification committee for a site visit during this academic year.
“PGM’s approach to STEM education is unique in that we have two different cohorts of students,” explained Smith. “Most STEM programs are centered around accelerated classes and high-achieving students. At PGM, we believe in extending our STEM classes to accelerated students as well as interest-based students.”
The school uses grade level, interest-based surveys completed by the students to identify if they are interested in robotics, computer coding, or agriculture/farming. Based on those results, students are selected to participate in one of these areas.