Cultivating crops and so much more: Spruce View students learn about hydroponics and resilience

Spruce View School students have enjoyed a great year learning about what makes a hydroponics system work well. They’ve completed their first plant sale, after a year of learning about their equipment, how to use it to grow plants, and then resolving problems they experienced along the way. 

Kaylee N., a Grade 10 student, says, “Working with hydroponics this year I enjoyed learning about the system of giving the plants the nutrients and planting flowers. I never knew there was such a thing like hydroponics so I'm happy I got to learn about it and have the opportunity to use it in school.”

In June 2024, the school learned it was successful in its application for a $20,000 Flourishing Stories and Innovation Grant from the Chinook’s Edge School Board. At that point the school had plans to purchase hydroponics equipment. The equipment arrived a few weeks before the Christmas break in 2024, and students began working on it in January 2025.

A few months ago, students began growing eight to ten batches of lettuce at a time, each spaced two weeks apart. The first batch was used in the school’s food classes. The second cycle was used for salads taken to a school potluck lunch. The third and final batch this year was sold at the school’s plant sale, where proceeds will go back into supplying the program for next year.

“There is considerably more complexity to growing plants than you would think of in nature,” says Richard Dunnigan, a Spruce View teacher. “Nature often takes care of itself. A hydroponics system is a controlled environment, so we had a lot of learning to do about how to adjust all of the conditions correctly for the crop we were growing.” 

Dunnigan says the students in his class worked together to understand watering frequency, nutrient amounts, adjusting the water pH levels, and responding to a pest infestation.

Dunnigan says he was proud of how the students responded to the aphid infestation this spring. “The students looked into the science behind it all, and worked together to come up with solutions,” says Dunnigan, “and that’s real life. It’s not just theoretical.”

He says, “as students learned how to respond, it built their confidence and resilience. They have learned if their first idea isn’t the best, then try again. It’s okay to make mistakes, and that’s not failure: it’s just trying something that didn’t work. Learning that will be important for their future education and work.” 

Brooke B., a Grade 10 student, says, “I enjoyed watching the lettuce grow and mature and I did not know that you had to put nutrients in the water for the plants to grow. I also learned the importance of sustainable resources.”

Jaden M., a Grade 10 student, says, “One of the things I enjoyed about utilizing the hydroponic system this year was how efficiently and rapidly plants could be cultivated without soil. I appreciated taking care of the water levels, the nutrients and the light and being able to actually observe the difference from week to week. I preferred the hands-on aspect and being able to nurture something regularly.”

Jaden says, “Being a part of hydroponics has enlightened me to alternative methods of growing food and how science and technology can be used to help solve real issues like food insecurity. Also, this class gave me useful skills like being able to problem solve, being an observant person, and being accountable.”

Anna D., a Grade 11 student, says she would like to get her own hydroponics system in the future. “I want to have an easy way to grow my own plants. You don’t have to worry about weeding the garden. You just need to worry about the bug issue, the system, and taking care of the roots.”

Dunnigan says it is likely the school will try some new crops next year as well, such as cherry tomatoes and herbs. 

The school plans to offer a high school Career and Technology Studies (CTS) class again in both semesters next year. The school also plans to enable those students to become leaders in teaching what they are learning to younger students in the school. 

Dunnigan says, “We see some curricular connections for some of our younger classes, and that will help us expand opportunities to the entire school.”