(Canastota, NY – Oct. 27, 2015) Canastota Central School District has received a $10,000 grant from America’s Farmers Grow Rural Education, sponsored by the Monsanto Fund. The district will use the money to expand their greenhouse by integrating anew aquaponics system, which will provide increased hands-on learning opportunities that enhance math and science curriculum for students across all grade levels in the district.
The district will use aquaponics, a system that combines hydroponics (growing plants without soil) and aquaculture (growing fish), to help students understand the symbiotic relationship between fish and plants. Through this project, students will engage in the creation of an ecosystem that operates right before their eyes bringing what they learn in the classroom to life.
“Our greenhouse serves as the primary site for agriscience instruction,” said Superintendent June Clarke. “This grant allows us to upgrade and improve a vital part of our education and better prepare students for their future education.”
Farmers who nominated the school district and representatives from the school attended a check presentation to celebrate the grant during the schools board meeting on Oct. 27.
This year the school district also received an educational starter kit from Monsanto Company to help establish a pollinator garden, which will give students first-hand knowledge of the critical role habitat plays in providing bees and butterflies with food, shelter and places to lay eggs.
Since 2011, Grow Rural Education has awarded more than $9 million to help keep rural public school districts growing. The program works with farmers to nominate public school districts to compete for math and science grants of $10,000 or $25,000. Grant applications are reviewed and finalists selected by a panel of teachers. Winning applications are chosen by an advisory council comprised of farmers from across the U.S.
Visit www.GrowRuralEducation.com to see the full list of winners for this year. A sister program, America’s Farmers Grow Communities, is currently enrolling farmers for 2016. To sign up, visit www.GrowCommunities.com before Nov. 30.
These programs are part of the America’s Farmers initiative. The America’s Farmers campaign and programs have advocated on behalf of farmers and their efforts to meet society’s needs through agriculture. Today, consumers are more interested than ever in agriculture and how food is grown. Farmers and others in the industry are joining in on the conversation to help raise awareness about agriculture and share their stories with their communities.
Learn more at cfiengage.org.