Smith High School Science Students Celebrate Earth Week with garden science experiments

Mr. Abraha, chemistry teacher, and Cynthia Nielsen, School Garden Network Coordinator, joined Mrs. Connie Mitchell's Environmental Science class in Smith High School's raised bed garden plots to set up their experiments to determine the effect of different variables on plant growth.

 "Plants and food are a big part of our lives here on planet earth" said one freshman in explaining why what they are studying in the garden relates to Earth Week.

Students varied one of the following factors in 1/2 of each of the 4'x8' beds while leaving the other half as a control: water, fertilizer, plant spacing and plant type. Students will measure and compare plant growth outcomes over the next six weeks.

They will share the results with us and other high school's science classes. Funding from an enrichment grant and plant donations from Home Depot to Mr. Abraha helped underwrite this research.

 Mr. Abraha says their next project will be to work with a Biology teacher and students on other plant growth factors. 

We will follow their progress and report back to you!