Methacton High School is proud to be the first high school in Pennsylvania to operate its own student-run hydroponic farm, Windy Hill Farm!
The vision to bring this incredible project to life sprung from the minds of our talented high school science teachers, Steve Savitz (Environmental Science), Jeremy Walton (Biology), and Tracy Murray (Biology). The vertical hydroponic farm is custom-built and contains state-of-the-art technology that receives electricity and fresh water into the shipping container frame.
In late January, students planted the seeds that began to yield the first crop of plants in early Spring. The students have harvested more than 2,000 plants and herbs including lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and dill.
As part of the district’s focus on S.T.E.M, high school students in all grades can choose to take the hydroponic farming course. It is designed to cover how plants can be grown hydroponically, how the scientific method is not a linear process and how hydroponic farming has benefits to society. The course also has a lab component in addition to hands-on experience. A strong emphasis is also placed on business, marketing, computer science and mathematics.
Windy Hill Farm is available to our students thanks to the leadership of the Methacton Board of School Directors and the administration -- and thanks to the generosity of our community partners through donations to the Methacton Education Foundation, which awarded over $400,000 for Methacton programs in 2021-2022.
Methacton School District
Email: information@methacton.org
Website: www.methacton.org
Phone: 6104895000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MethactonSchoolDistrict
Twitter: @Methacton