Students bring farmers market to Capitol

Las Vegas nonprofit Green Our Planet hosted its first student-run farmers market Tuesday featuring five schools from Lyon and Storey counties in front of the Nevada Legislature.

Officials had an opportunity to sample plants, fruits and vegetables grown from schools and hydroponics laboratories that students developed this past school year.

The garden program provides the ability for students to learn about nutrition, science, conservation and math through hands-on experience in outdoor gardens and hydroponics laboratories.

Schools included Dayton High, Dayton Intermediate, Riverview Elementary, Sutro Elementary and Virginia City High. In all, about 50 student farmers sold their produce and crafts with all proceeds to go back to the schools to preserve garden programs.

VCHS 3D coding teacher Ted Martinez escorted five of his students and said they were enjoying a “great day” starting off with lettuces, celery and herbs they had brought. His high school students took over the elementary school’s hydroponics lab equipment this year.

He said his typical classroom of 10, half of whom seem to “love it and half are indifferent,” generally enjoy seeing how things grow.

“I think specifically they love getting into the chemistry of it, too,” he said. “They have to maintain the pH and when that went off, everything corrected and things were going to die. It made them keep on top of things.”

Teacher Bridget Thompson said Riverview brought watermelon plants, cucumbers, squash, cantaloupe and sunflowers, and she enjoyed watching her students acquiring new skills.

“It’s been an amazing process to watch the kids,” Thompson said. “Some of them came into our farmers market with the experience of planting at their homes and some children had not planted. It was interesting to see who the teachers were. They all worked together. They were able to talk about how they do it at their home compared to how do it in the classroom. … I haven’t sold a thing. My students have sold everything.”