STUDENTS AT BELMONT PREPARATORY SHARE THEIR FIRST HYDROPONIC HARVEST WITH FAMILIES
The Belmont Preparatory High School community thoroughly enjoyed the Hydroponics Lab ribbon cutting ceremony event and could not have been more thrilled to serve the salad at our event afterwards. Thank you again for all the organization and for bringing such joy to our school. Your partnership is valued and appreciated and we look forward to our continued collaboration as we further develop our lab. Thank you!
Students Learning in their New Hydroponic Classroom Enjoy Hands-On, Quality Climate Education and Fresh Food From Cutting-Edge Technology.
NY Sun Works gathered with school leaders, teachers, parents and students at Belmont Preparatory High School in the Bronx to celebrate the first harvest from their new Hydroponic Classroom. The afternoon began with a ribbon cutting ceremony, before students harvested and prepared their freshly grown produce to serve during a community Dinner.
Designed to foster a love of sustainability science and urban farming among students, the new Hydroponic Classroom features a number of different systems meant for growing specific plants, with long tray-based systems for lettuce, basil and herbs, as well as Vine Crop Systems for climbing vegetables and fruits like tomatoes and cucumbers. Using these systems, students can expect to harvest up to six times a year, producing a plentiful harvest to share with other students, family and the local community.
“The Belmont Prep community extends its deepest gratitude to Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson for her Reso-A grant support, which supported the construction of our state-of-the-art Hydroponic Classroom. This capital improvement project will provide students with innovative learning opportunities across STEM fields, while preparing them for careers in a growing green economy. This lab is designed to build community, and foster collaboration,” said Belmont Preparatory Principal Hoek Choi. “We celebrate this commitment to expanding educational and career opportunities to students of the Bronx and look forward to the profound impact it will have on our community.”
Funding for the new Hydroponic Classroom at Belmont Preparatory High School comes from Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson, a staunch supporter of NY Sun Works and public education. Through her leadership, more than $7 million has been invested, bringing standards-aligned sustainability science through Hydroponic technology to 52 Bronx schools.
“With the future of food benefits in doubt, it is inspiring to see the teachers and students of Belmont Prep choosing to share their harvest with the community and organizing this joyous Thanksgiving meal. Our Hydroponic Classrooms offer students not just quality science and sustainability education , but also a pathway to civic engagement,” said NY Sun Works Executive Director Manuela Zamora. “We are grateful to Bronx Borough President Gibson for supporting this new Hydroponic Classroom at Belmont Prep.”
NY Sun Works’ partner schools like Belmont Prep receive ongoing professional development training for science educators and weekly visits from a hydroponic specialist to guide teachers in hydroponic systems maintenance, provide planting, harvest, and produce distribution support; and clean, prep, and troubleshoot systems. In the Bronx, NY Sun Works has 58 partner schools, with another 48 labs at new schools to be installed this year.
About NY Sun Works:
NY Sun Works is the largest provider of climate education to NYC public schools and the only non profit delivering state-of-the-art Hydroponic Classrooms paired with comprehensive, standards-aligned, sustainability science curriculum to K-12 classrooms nationwide. NY Sun Works Hydroponic Classrooms deliver transformative education to communities where it’s needed most, resulting in proven outcomes for the community. Since opening its first Hydroponic Classroom in 2010, NY Sun Works has partnered with over 370 schools, reaching more than 140,000 students annually across New York City, Union City (NJ), Philadelphia (PA) and Birmingham (AL). Collectively, NY Sun Works schools have the capacity to grow approximately 200,000 pounds of produce each year in their classrooms.