We did it!!!!

Well... we did it! School is over and we are proud to say that the STEM community has accomplished both a greenhouse for aquaponics and Rand Park has been brought to life again-- thanks to Mrs. Eckert/English's group. 

I was in charge, as well as my partner Tyler Nedzi, of the Raised Bed Garden sector at Rand Park. 

  

It feels like just yesterday when our plants were only seeds under a grow light. Tyler and I (along with other Raised Bed Garden members), planted about 7 different types of plants. However, only about 3 made it to Rand Park. 

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After we had a rough idea about how we wanted to make our garden look, my group popped over to Renaissance to take a peek at their finished garden. Because we were first year students who were redesigning Rand Park, we knew we were going to start off small. Although, looking at Renaissance's garden but amazing! 

We all know this is not a raised but-- but I had to share it anyway. This is basically a sack and the soil inside has seeds that have not yet sprouted. I thought that this was absolutely amazing because anybody could do this! You don't need lumber, nails, a drill... all you need is a sack- almost potato like :)- then fill it with dirt, plant your seeds, and magic!! 

Here is just another fun photo. This is me and at Renaissance's garden. They are growing radishes!! No, I didn't just steal it out of the ground- although it was so delicious I probably would have ;). 

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(Please excuse this awful photo of us caught off guard) 

Here is myself, and a group member of mine Marcell. We are at the location in Rand Park where our beds will be. If you can see, next to me are things that look like little black smudges. They aren't smudges, but stakes. We were measuring and staking out where we wanted to build out beds. 

(Sorry for the slanted picture, my computer wont let me change it) 

Here is myself (stripped shirt), Tyler Nedzi (middle), and Marcell Brown (far right). We just finished building our first raised bed! There were two other helpers, but they just missed the photo :( 

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TADDDAAHHHHH!!!! 

WE DID IT!!!! Tyler(far left), myself (next to Tyler), Noelle (next to me), and Elena(far right)- with Marcell- have all built and finished planting our first raised bed!!!!! We are so excited! In this bed, we have three different plants. Arugula, tomatoes and a bean plant.

Wasn't going to lie, the whole process was difficult, but well worth it. 

Hope you have enjoyed and have a wonderful summer!!!! 

- Florise Schwartz

S.T.E.M. Expo

Just recently we decided to have an expo for stem. During this expo there was a ton of cool stuff we had to show to all the parents and guests. We had a presentation given by students from each of the various sub groups of stem (the gardening group, the technology group, the Rand Park and aquaponics group). Right after the presentation we led the parents to and guests to multiple kiosks that we had set up and answered any questions they had about the work we had done. The expo ended on a positive noted and was enjoyed by everyone.

Knotweed Removal

It has been so much fun to see all the progress we made in our garden over the last 3 or 4 weeks. When my group: Sarah, Stanley, Sam, Xavion, and I were assigned a spot of land to plant our garden we were faced with a problem. Our bed was already taken over by an invasive, fast growing weed. Knotweed. To remove the knotweed we needed a plan. Our group members didn't all agree on one way, so we tried two; We split the garden in half. On one side, we sprayed the plant with a solution made of of chlorine and water, the salt water would get absorbed by the foliage thus killing the roots. On the other side, we dug deep and removed all traces of knotweed and root that we could fine, hoping we got it all. It was a science experiment that proved both ways of removing the knotweed was effective!

Viburnums in Rand Park

Viburnums are native to North America, which means that they are noninvasive.  They are also great because they are disease and pest resistant. There are several different types of viburnums that can be used. They flower in the spring and bear red, to dark purple, to black berries in the late summer and fall.  They can also produce long lasting fruits for winter birds. This is especially important because the purpose of the viburnums in our Rand Park ecosystem is to attract birds.  In addition to providing birds with nourishment, viburnums also provide a canopy that shelters birds. Viburnums are extremely versatile in the sense that they are diverse in leaf shape and texture and flora.  Leaf shape and texture includes rounded, toothed, smooth, velvety or rough. They also produce fragrances that attract humans as well as birds. In addition to these wonderful characteristics, viburnums are appealing to the eye.

                                                                                                                                                            

Rain/Erosion Garden, Zach Roberts

 STEM has been working on many projects this year. Of those projects is a rain/erosion garden (worked on by Michaela, Allyssa, Lloyd, Vikingur, and Zach). This garden serves to control erosion from rain water runoff. Some of the plants include woodland flox,  bloodroot, and violets (NJ's state flower). These plants are very water tolerant, and have deep roots to hold their ground. This garden will absorb and slow down most of the rain runoff that flows by it, effectively controlling the level of erosion on the hillside where it is planted. We hope to have a few more gardens planted in the near future.

Learning from Renaissance

The Montclair High School STEM is working on raised garden beds to plant a vegetable garden in front of the 9th grade annex of the school. Before we could get any planting done we needed to take a look at some raised beds for an example. Luckily enough for us the school right across the street, Renaissance, has raised beds set up by the DIGS program (you can find them here http://montclairdigs.org/). So we took a little field trip for some inspiration.

Here is some garlic growing that was planted in the fall.

There were six raised beds growing an assortment of things such as peas (Pisum sativum), garlic (Allium sativum), radishes (Raphanus sativus), kale (Brassica oleracea) and even potatoes (Solanum tuberosum). 

Florise stands next to some peas

Lucky for us we even got to taste some radishes!

Me (Tyler Nedzi)

Florise schwartz

Walkin' in the Meadowlands

    All of us here at MHS STEM got to experience a real treat over at the Meadowlands that took almost all of us by surprise. Although the trip got off to a rough start, us arriving rather late and all, it quickly evolved into one of the most memorable trips of this entire year. Most, if not all of us had zero idea about the diverse and interesting wildlife that could be found right here in New Jersey. It really took some by surprise to see some birds the likes of which people thought would be only found in places like California or Florida and not so close to home here in New Jersey. What really added to the wonderful experience we had on our trip was the fantastic weather we had, we really lucked out with one of the sunniest days in the year as well as bearable temperatures to go along with it. It made the boat tour that much more better on a trip that would've otherwise been not so suited for a rainy day.

    I think I can speak for all of STEM when I say that this trip could easily be the best of the year, with the fantastic views we experienced and the beautiful wildlife we saw, all culminating to become one of the most memorable experiences of our High School career.

- Kevin Dyer

Gardening and Water Solutions by Alyssa Schiff

In the past two weeks, the different garden groups have begun planting.  My group (Erosion control/Rain garden) have planted some violets and blood roots in our spot.  The blood root is very cool because their stems are super pigmented and very orange.  Gardening has been a little challenging especially on a hill, as we have to make sure the plants won't just wash away during heavy rain.  To prevent this, we used some sticks to fence in the plants and stop some of the water.  This was difficult, as we had to make sure that the sticks would actually stay,  Zach then decided to reinforce these sticks with rocks from the brook and so far, the sticks have stayed.  After we had put all of our plants into the ground, we were faced with a new challenge: watering the garden.  Michaela and I decided to be a little adventurous and face the shallow stream head on.  As Michaela ducked under the bridge's railings on her stomach, I held her ankles (as I am so obviously very strong, this was completely safe).  Michaela dipped our little garbage bin (our water bucket) into the brook and pulled out some smelly water, but water none the less.  Then, we abandoned the idea of doing this every time our plants needed water, and went for the much more practical strategy: clambering down into the brook and exploring a path of rocks to get a good amount of water.  Of course, Michaela and I being incredibly clumsy, almost fell in on multiple occasions.  Finally our garden was watered, the feeling of satisfaction set in and we set off for next period with high hopes for our garden.

Pollinator's Garden!

    Today was such a great day for our group (me, Nicole, and Hallie)! After a week of some very hard work we finally finished our first bed! We worked so hard and a couple of friends like, Amiri, Nastya, and Camilla really helped out. First, we had to remove the grass from our area which proved to be a lot harder, I'll admit, than we originally thought. Then, we evened out the soil and created a border with rocks so the maintenance workers wouldn't run it over (that was all earlier this week and late last week). Today, however, we got the rest of our plants into the ground and placed mulch on the bed. Once we finished we were beyond excited and a bit on the dirty side (our proximity to the stream helped out in that aspect). Anyways, this is what our garden now looks like and we may be adding another bed next week, so keep your eyes open for some more changes in Rand Park! 

The Davy Crocketts of STEM Education

There are always buzz words in education and STEM is taking front and center these days. When most people think of STEM education, they picture this

US Particle Accelerator School at Colorado State University

and this

From the ASME website

But maybe not so much this.

MHS students making measurements for a raised gardening bed.

Students creating a bed along Toney's Brook.

The very beginnings of an erosion control garden.

Below is how the Congressional Research Service (CRS) describes STEM education.
"The term "STEM education" refers to teaching and learning in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics...Federal policymakers have an active and enduring interest in STEM education and the topic is frequently raised in federal science, education, workforce, national security, and immigration policy debates."

I'm not sure that gardening is what the CRS had in mind when considering how to keep the US workforce competitive in the global economy. But I think we're right on target. Our STEM students are redesigning Rand Park. A park that sits adjacent to their school. A park that they have walked through, eaten lunch in, relaxed in and stared at longingly while stuck in a classroom. The students drew plans and presented their ideas to the mayor and town council. They are working with local citizens with expertise in landscape design and native plants. They have researched and planned how to attract interesting and wonderful creatures and critters to the park. They are experimenting with methods to control invasive plants. They now know more about perennials and natives than I did well into my 20s. They aren't currently developing their engineering skills to conquer the global economy but they are digging into the earth in their own neighborhood. And they are problem solving during every single class.

The MHS students are pioneers: they are creating an outdoor classroom and wildlife habitat that the entire school can learn from and enjoy.

Our students will be venturing out into the world soon enough, some in STEM fields, some not. But right now we are venturing no further than Rand Park--our own backyard--and I think we are exactly where we need to be.

Not Just a Pest?

The planting of viburnum in our Rand Park garden may result in the arrival of an increasingly common pest that is known to destroy these shrubs: the viburnum leaf beetle. The beetle is non native to the Western Hemisphere and is very invasive. It can eat every leaf of the shrub within a few days.

     This European insect has been appearing around New England and Pennsylvania and definitely could be a threat to our viburnum if we don't do something precautionary. Some types of viburnum are more susceptible to viburnum leaf insects than others, including arrowood (dentatum) and cranberrybush (opulus) viburnum. The best methods for stopping viburnum leaf beetles are: 

•attracting other insects that eat the larvae or adult beetles, such as ladybugs and spined soldier bugs 

•using soap to kill the eggs of unhatched  beetles

 These ways are much better for our Rand gardens than using harmful pesticides that could seep into Tony's Brook to damage other Montclair habitats. Though not ideal, the arrival of viburnum leaf beetles would attract beneficial and desirable wildlife such as ladybugs while give STEM a chance to study green solutions to environmental problems.

Let the gardening begin!

Yay! We were finally given the  okay and  have officially to transform Rand park. It was great  to ditch the researching and finally get our hands dirty! Every one is working hard and you can already see a big difference. Plants have already been planted (ex. Joe Pye Weed and I belive bee balm) and other groups are working really hard to get rid of the nasty Japanese Knotweed! Plus Mrs. Eckert is ordering even more plants so we can keep on planting. I'm so excited for what is to come in the furture and see how beautiful rand park is going to turn out!


 Here's a pick of just a few of the Stemmers!! We like to have work  but  also have some fun!!  :)
(Photo creds to Mrs. Eckert)

Breaking Ground

Exciting news!! The rain/erosion garden has begun planting! Pictured above is our group with our finished garden (though it will never really be finished). We planted all of our plants for our first garden! Currently, in this garden, we have blood root (Sanguinaria canadensis) and violet (Viola reichenbachiana) growing and we cannot wait to see how beautiful it turns out!

Pictured above is Zach, Lloyd, Viking and I working (though lets be real here, Viking doesnt work haha).

We started by marking out our 8'x3' garden with surveyors tape. Then we got to work raking out the moss and dirt that was originally there. We started by planting blood root and lavender (blood root pictured), the blood root is really cool because on the inside of the stem where it would usually be green, the plant is blood red almost like it is bleeding!

While planting we ran into a few tree roots but we avoided them It was fun planting and watering because we had to take water from the brook and Alyssa, Zach and I (I being Michaela) risked getting wet to fill buckets of water to bring to our plants.

Pollinator Progress

As summer comes closer, and the weather is warmer each day, the STEM students venture out into Rand Park more and more often. Issy, Nicole, and I have finalized and begun work on our pollination garden in Rand Park. We are starting small, as the Board of Ed ruled, with a 10 ft by 3 ft garden beside Tony's brook.
First, we ripped off our plot of land, carefully choosing a space with good soil, in relatively good sun,   far enough from the path of any walking students, as well as the growing Japanese Knotweed. The invasive Japanese Knotweed is posing a struggle, as it's roots have grown deep and is growing widely across our land. Each day as we plant, we also try to remove as many of the knotweed roots as we can.
Clearing the land proved to be harder than we thought. It took more strength than we realized to hoe away the grass, roots, and rocks that resided in our plot. We enlisted our friend Amiri to aid us as cleared the ground.
With the ground finally clear, we were able to plant one flower, Bee Balm (Monarda.) Bee balm is a great flower, with beautiful vibrant colors, and it's name speaks for itself. The plant attracts many pollinators, but especially bees.
In the next few weeks we hope to continue planting a couple more Bee Balm plants, milkweed, (Asclepias), lavender (Lavandula), and hopefully Blue False Indigo (Baptista australis.) We are very excited within our group for the progress of our garden, as well as all the other gardens that seem to be growing out in Rand Park.

Issy and I, with Amiri in the background, taking a break to pose for a picture

Issy, Amiri, and I clearing the soil

Issy, Amiri, and I clearing the soil as Nicole looks up from her pots to smile

Dead or Alive: Our Joe Pye Weed

After a months of hard work and labor, our Bee Garden in Rand Park is finally starting to get planted.  The plant we have right now is Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium).  It is great for attracting bees and other pollinators.  We're still waiting on our Purple Milkweed though.  I went to see how our garden was doing today and some of them aren't looking that good.

I really hope that these start to look better because it is so sad to see them drooping over like that.  Luckily however, our other Joe Pye Weed is doing better though.

See! Look how much better these are doing.  I just watered all of our plants in Rand Park today so hopefully they will all start to look better and will stop drooping.

Rand Park in Progress

We have officially started planting in Rand Park! This is a big step for us students and STEM in general. My group (Ben, both Kevins, Erica, and me) are working on a small garden on the edge of Tony's Brook. We spent a little over a day digging up grass and evening out the dirt and began planting and watering some Joe Pye Weed on Wednesday. We already have a full row of it bordering the brook. Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium purpureum) is native to New Jersey. It flowers from July to September and typically grows from 4-7 feet tall. Joe Pye Weed requires part or full sun. Its pinkish-purple flowers are very attractive to butterflies (and they have an added bonus: the flowers are vanilla-scented!). It is said that Indians used Joe Pye Weed to treat kidney stones and other urinary tract ailments. It is also deer resistant, drought tolerant, good for privacy, and low maintenance (perfect for summers without students to tend the gardens). It looks like Rand Park has a bright, more colorful future ahead!

A Cruise Through the Meadowlands

Today around 16 STEMmers went to the Meadowlands in New Jersey.  We immediately went to the dock where we split into groups of 8 and then proceeded to boarding 2 lovely pontoon boats.  Then we were off!  Angelo, the man in charge of the tour took us through the Meadowlands.  He pointed out varieties of birds and explained the fish that can be found in the brackish water of the Meadowlands.  Around halfway through the tour we stopped and did some water testing.  We tested the water's pH which was around 7.5 (nice) as well as the turbidity (not so nice).  Turbidity is basically how clear or hazy the water is.  The water was not very clear.  After that we continued our tour.  We were out on the water for around and hour and a half.  Sunburn was everywhere!  Overall the trip was very relaxing but insightful.  I learned a lot about the Meadowlands and the importance of sunscreen.

Trees in the Meadowland are a great place for hawks to make their nests!
 

Aquaponics

Aquaponics
Throughout the winter, a specific group of students have been diligently growing and maintaining a small scale aquaponics system. I worked with two other girls, Nicole and Issy, as we tried to grow wheatgrass, green beans, and basil with our fish Hercules. The project was rewarding in the sense that each time we returned to class, there was growth. This made the frequent logs and tests bearable, as there was actually something to log about. The wheatgrass grew the fastest and most abundantly. During the early months, we got to know our fish and determined that he was stressed. Hercules was showing symptoms of lack of eating and swimming and being the physicians we are, with the help of google, decided that he was stressed. The cure was to raise the temperature of the water, which we did by making a sign asking other students not to open the window near our tank.

Flash forward three months later. It is late spring. Hercules has unfortunately passed away. He had been becoming paler and paler as the days passed, he wasn't eating and wasn't able to swim. Along with his sickness, many of our plants started to dry up. Our teacher made the executive decision to put him out of his misery and so we did(placing him in an alcohol solution that killed him instantly.) we made sure to have a proper funeral in his memory.

Although Hercules didn't make it, my group now has all of the necessary skills to create a larger aquaponics system!

Guerrilla Gardening

As part of Montclair High School's STEM Academy a group of students have taken on the project of planting various fruits and vegetables. So far we have tomatoes, watermelon, parsley, and a variety of beans. It has been amazing to foster these plants from mere seeds into the budding sprouts.
We first planted our seeds in large incubator trays where their roots were able to initially take hold. Then, once slightly matured, we transferred these seedlings into individual pots where they will be able to grow tall and strong.

Transferring these plants was a bit of an ordeal. It is imperative that the roots stay intact during the plants' move, so being gentle is key. As students, we divided up the jobs into a sort of gardening assembly line. One removed the young plants out of the tray, one prepped the pots with the initial soil, another planted the vegetables in their new homes, someone watered, and our supervisor made sure that everything ran as smoothly as possible. 

It was great to be able to utilize this life skill, gardening, in a productive and beneficial way. We hope to sell or trade our goods at a community swap. This swap is to promote healthy, organic, self-grown plants in our community. 

This swap will take place Saturday, May 24th at the Crane House in Montclair. (Ms. Eckert here...Actually, the swap already took place this past Saturday....heard it was a rousing success!)

Rand Park Project - Pollinating Garden!

STEM has two main projects going on right now and they are the large scale aquaponics system and greenhouse as well as the Rand Park project.  A handful of STEM students recently gave a presentation to the town council members, the Mayor, and Dr. Penny MacCormack, where we talked about our garden plans for Rand Park.  Hopefully the project will get approved and we can begin digging on Monday!  The group I am in is working on a pollinating garden.  We hope to attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.  The goal is pollination, and a safe habitat of these insects since some of which are endangered.  This project will take a lot of hard work and dedication but in a few years the gardens should be beautiful and flourishing.

       STEM has been working on building an aquaponics system. But before the large-scale system is built, we worked on small scale models first. By working on these small scale models, we were able to develop a better understanding of aquaponics. The small scale models have prepared STEM for what to expect with our full scale aquaponics system. STEM  is currently working on creating the greenhouse, and design for this aquaponics system.

Thriving small scale aquaponics system

Town Council Meeting

    This past week was very exciting for the STEM academy. We presented our garden ideas for the landscaping of Rand Park alongside the Architecture Club's ideas for the hard-scaping. I, myself, was apart of the group that presented. As a group we created a PowerPoint explaining each of the ideas and goals, stressing the positive environmental impact as well as the opportunity to use the data collected from the animals and insects we hope to attract as part of various citizen science projects.
     The meeting was held in the town municipal building and provided a very genuine experience, as many of the town specialists as well as, the mayor and our superintendent were all present. I look forward to many similar experiences to come.

I think it is safe to say as soon as this is approved, STEM will most definitely be taken more seriously.

Small scale aquaponics system

Early this year we started using small scale aquaponics systems were we grow basil, wheat grass etc. with a beta fish in a small tank bellow the grow bed.

Every other day we feed the fish and test the tank water for certain parameters such a pH level, ammonia level, and nitrate level. We test these parameters because a beta fish can only tolerate certain levels of Ph, ammonia and nitrate. We also experiment with feeding the fish such as if feeding them too much or too little will effect these parameters.