Elementary Gets Tower Garden

Round Top Carmine Elementary School recently got a Tower Garden for their science classroom thanks to Round Top Education Foundation and Tower Garden Rep. Vicki Rudloff. Pictured are (seated, from left) Donovan Michie, Javier Salinas, Julio Mendoza, Emerson Heard, Lylah Robertson, Morgan Williams, Summer Dooley, (standing) Catrynna Polk, Cheyanne Pantalion, Angie Soto, Naomi Noria, Jerry Schatte of the Round Top Carmine Education Foundation, Brenner Bishop, Luke Behnke, Vickie Rudloff, Teague Weinert, Principal Amy Weinert, North Massey, Rilynn Amos and Aiden Bishop. Photo by Andy Behlen

Round Top-Carmine Elementary School students will get some hands-on lessons about gardening thanks to a generous donation by the Round Top-Carmine Education Foundation.

The Foundation footed the bill for a brand new Tower Garden that has been installed in Mrs. Bonnie Pesch’s science classroom at RT-C Elementary. Vicki Rudloff, a local Tower Garden representative, helped the school set up the garden as an educational aid.

“Tower Gardens help kids understand where their food comes from,” Rudloff said. “Food insecurity is huge in this country. When a head of lettuce costs $5, people can’t afford that. So being able to purchase fruits and vegetables is an issue. Being able to grow them is an asset.”

The Tower Garden is an aeroponic growing system that enables people to grow a large garden indoors or in very small spaces. Water filled with nutrients flows up through the tower to reach the roots of plants that grow in pods on the tower. A timed lighting system allows the Tower Garden to grow indoors.

Each day, students monitor the water pH and nutrient levels to ensure the best growing conditions. The Tower Garden allows the students to exercise lessons in chemistry, biology, botany and math.

Jerry Shatte of the Round Top Carmine Education Foundation said his organization aims to help the school fund educational opportunities that might not otherwise be available within the school’s budget.

“The Foundation supports technology, music and art at the school as our primary function, but we also do teacher grants for innovative ideas,” Schatte said. “Teachers might hear about an idea or they’ll come up with an idea they want to do, and they’ll come to us for a grant. Many of them get approved because we have a very innovative staff here.”

Rudloff saidTower Garden works with schools to install their products in classrooms all over the country. ANyone interested in learning more about Tower Garden can visit vickirudloff.towergarden.com.