We’ve been deliberating for the last several years on what to do with our old greenhouse. Several suggestions were offered, but nothing seemed just right. In August Mrs. Deb White, from CAN (Changing Attitudes Now) approached Mr. McCarten about any interest in building a geodesic dome. She conferred with Mr. Krubeck since this has been his passion project for years and he was on board with doing it.
Then the real work began. Mrs. White and Mrs Debbie Kelly provided the details of the project and how it would proceed. We presented the project and building details to our departments and the school board for approval. Among the many attractions of the project are that it aligns with the community partnerships initiative we are tasked with, along with engaging learning for students, and our Flagship programs. The 5th grade teachers agreed to have twice monthly lessons from CAN students on leadership that ties in with this project. The geodesic greenhouse is a University of Wyoming Extension Office project - they provided the materials and lead construction. The community partners who assisted with the project are Debbie Kelly, program associate with the UW Cent$ible Nutrition program; Ms. Mary Louise Wood, 4-H/Youth Development Extension Educator; Mr. Ted Smith, horticulturist and Extension Educator; Mr. Jeff Edwards, Small Acre Horticulture Specialist; CHS students from Mr. Jim Collins and Mr. Kelly Merager’s classes, Cody CAN members, Sunset students and Sunset parents.
The greenhouse project’s purpose is to introduce crops and consumption with Mrs. Kelly in 3rd grade, which we already do; plant seeds in 4th grade, a new project; and harvest crops in 5th grade, a new project. The plan is to produce crops for possible use in our classrooms/lunchroom and a possible farmers market to generate money to purchase seeds.
The greenhouse construction was completed Wednesday, September 25, in record time! The previous record for building a geodesic dome greenhouse in Wyoming is 21 hours, without using dirt. The Sunset project took 19 hours with 20 yards of dirt. It was the first in 29 builds that was a completed greenhouse when Mr. Edwards left. Thank you to Mrs. White, Mrs. Kelly, our community partners, Mr. McCarten, Mr. Krubeck, CAN, CMS and CHS students, and Sunset parents!