Fall River School’s Hydroponics Program Feeds Students’ Appetite for Entrepreneurship
FALL RIVER, SWANSEA, MA – History, math, and mustard-flavored microgreens? Holy Trinity School in Fall River, Massachusetts, is taking science class to the next level, by introducing an engaging experience that’s feeding the students’ appetite for entrepreneurship. Through the school’s innovative hydroponics program, students in pre-K through eighth grade are now getting a hands-on lesson on how to sustainably produce….produce.
This unique program began in 2022 as a creative and fun way to enhance Holy Trinity’s STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) studies. Since then, the school has had an abundance of success focusing on a tasty area of study – microgreens.
Often featured in a variety of foods from decorative salads to sushi, there’s a science to growing these intensely flavorful greens, which includes measuring nutrient-rich water, monitoring pH levels, and carefully calculating the precise time to harvest. Throughout this meticulous process, Holy Trinity’s students are there, tending to every detail, growing 50 types of appetizing microgreens to tantalize the taste buds, with flavors ranging from sweet and spicy, to citrusy and peppery.
Today, the unique program has blossomed into a thriving small business called Trinity Greens, and local chefs are eating it up – not just for the delicious variety of microgreens offered, but for the quality. Once the greens are harvested, they are promptly packaged and delivered to local restaurants, ensuring a freshness you can taste.
“The students really love being a part of this program,” said Kevin J. Flynn, Director of Development & Strategic Planning at Holy Trinity School, who oversees the hydroponics program. “They not only learn what it takes to cultivate and care for the microgreens, but they also get a taste of what it’s like to run a small business and the critical thinking that goes along with it.”
Trinity Greens currently provides microgreens to eight restaurants across the South Coast, including Brick Pizza Company, Bristol Oyster Bar, Foglia, The Beehive Café, Scales & Shells, Rhody Roots and the Beverly Yacht Club, as well as Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School’s culinary program. The growing time for the microgreens is quick – most varieties take about eight days from seedling to harvest, while specialty greens take about two weeks. During the process, Flynn and the students work with local chefs to customize and produce greens with different flavor profiles, depending on the needs of the restaurants.
BayCoast Bank, a long-time community savings bank serving the people and businesses on the South Coast of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, is proud to provide funding for the appetizing initiative.
“Holy Trinity School is so grateful for the continued support from BayCoast Bank,” said Brenda Gagnon, Principal of Holy Trinity School. “Our Trinity Greens Project is a unique learning opportunity and to have the support of a business that is so prominent in the community is a blessing.”
“We’re thrilled to support the innovative hydroponics program at Holy Trinity School, which provides students with a unique learning experience that goes beyond the classroom,” said John McMahon, Senior Vice President of Community Engagement. “We look forward to future collaboration, helping the students grow this impressive small business, as they grow microgreens for our community.”
Are you hungry for more information about the Trinity Greens program at Holy Trinity School? Please email Kevin J. Flynn directly at kjflynn@htfr.dfrcs.org.
