House Joint Resolution No. 692 (2015) designates the first full week in October as Virginia Farm to School Week. This year, Virginia Farm to School Week takes place October 7–11, 2024.
According to the Virginia Department of Education, "the Virginia Farm to School program increases eq
uitable access to fresh, healthy, Virginia grown food while providing hands-on learning opportunities in a variety of educational settings. Across Virginia, schools and community sponsors of federal child nutrition programs express a growing enthusiasm to provide nutritious food, support local farms, and educate students about healthy eating, agriculture, and the environment."
In the last decade, Colonial Heights Public Schools has grown its own agriculture program, AgriProject, through the high tunnel that can be seen on the right side of the CHHS Tech Center building. Many may identify the building as a greenhouse, but a greenhouse is temperature controlled, while the high tunnel is not. This high tunnel project began in 2016.
The Work of the High Tunnel
Since its inception, numerous student volunteers from CHHS have helped Bill Ryan (retired CHHS Earth Science teacher) and Tracy Boyd (current CHHS Biology teacher) plant numerous vegetables and herbs, harvest crops, and showcase their work to the community. Bill and Tracy are co-coordinators of the project who, together, dedicate time seven days a week to keep the plants watered. Tracy says the mission of the AgriProject is to "teach students and the community about growing healthy, organic crops. We also have raised beds and we can teach people in the community how to construct them and plant them."
Mr. Boyd provides a prime example of the way that the staff and students of the AgriProject are achieving their mission:
I had a class of 17 students one day with me, and one of them tried fresh snow peas -- raw. The other students decided to try some, and, in the end, I had 17 students eat all of the peas off the vine! I like to believe they are making healthy eating choices now.
The high tunnel offers more than just vegetables and soil. Student Brianna C. credits her involvement with AgriProject for helping improve her mental health and relationships with peers through increased connection with nature. She explains, "It's very warm and welcoming, making it easier to socialize with others and work together in our shared interests. Another great thing was visible progress. Being able to plant and see it slowly grow into something you didn't imagine is a great feeling."
The high tunnel volunteers primarily grow tomatoes, squash, zucchini, peppers, potatoes, herbs and flowers in the warm season. During the cool season, you can find lettuces, cabbages, kale, carrots, onions, spinach, snow peas, and herbs. They even have blueberry, strawberry, blackberry, and raspberry beds. All of this organically grown produce is sold to the community and even used in the high school's culinary arts class.
Chef Booth and the AgriProject Collaboration
Chef Booth began as the Culinary Arts teacher at CHHS in 2022 after dedicating his craft to Bookbinder's Seafood & Steakhouse in Richmond, VA. It took less than a year in his new role for Chef Booth to seek out the freshest organic ingredients from our very own high tunnel. Using ingredients like peppers, tomatoes, and herbs, the chef 
and his culinary arts students whipped up hot sauce, marinara, and salsa that quickly became a favorite amongst staff. The students packaged and sold these creations alongside their gourmet staff lunches and sweet treats; they would quickly sell out and leave staff begging for a next round. They even used their homemade salsa to add flavor to exciting staff meal offerings like their Cuban pork roast sandwich or vegan sofritas burrito.
Next on the menu is sweet potato pie. The harvest of sweet potatoes from the high tunnel has been completed, and ahead of Thanksgiving meals, the Culinary Arts program will be baking delicious sweet potato pies to sell to staff. The Culinary Arts students experienced the joy of digging in the soil and finding fully grown sweet potatoes ready to be pulled for their pies!
Engaging the Next Generation
The staff and students of the high tunnel have been heavily invested in sharing their love for agriculture, sustainability, and healthy eating with elementary students in the division. From taking trips to Tussing Elementary to help students plant pumpkin starts in raised beds in the courtyard to, most recently, giving North Elementary students a tour of the high tunnel on a local field trip, they hope to spread this passion to the next generation of Colonials.
Recently, Mr. Boyd also won grant money from the Colonial Heights Education Foundation that he used to help pay for LED lighting and other supplies for the high tunnel as well as mini-greenhouses for the classroom.
Continuing to Grow
Each Spring, the AgriProject hosts open house events where they sell bedding plants and flowers. These events are organized almost entirely by the many student volunteers, and the money raised goes right back into the AgriProject to pay for seeds, potting soil, organic fertilizer, and gardening tools. They often share these events, t-shirt sales, and donation needs on the Colonial Heights High School Facebook page.
Volunteer Brianna C. and others also encourage other students to join the project. She shares that "it allows you to leave your worries behind and reconnect with not only nature but those around you. It's also a great reminder that every effort you put in, no matter how small, is worth it because it will reflect in the future."
To continue the mission of the AgriProject, we hope our community will shop at these open houses, participate in fundraisers or donation drives, and financially support the Colonial Heights Education Foundation.