WCHS Horticulture getting second hydroponic system

When it comes to technology, the Whitley County High School horticulture program is going high tech.

Whitley County Superintendent John Siler presents the November Above and Beyond Award to Larry Widener, who is a custodian at Whitley North Elementary School.

During its Nov. 10 monthly meeting, the Whitley County Board of Education approved the purchase of a second hydroponic system for the high school agriculture and vocational education program.

Superintendent John Siler noted that last spring the high school vocational and agriculture department got its first hydroponics system, which uses water and PVC piping instead of soil to grow things.

“We have that one up and going. This is just adding to that,” Siler noted. “Any time we have career and technical classes, we want it to be cutting edge. We want the kids of Whitley County to be introduced to the latest technology in whatever field it is whether it is horticulture in the greenhouse, or welding or nursing, any of these classes we are offering that way. Even in the traditional classroom we want technology and cutting edge things.”

The first system is focused on growing lettuce. The new system is larger and deeper and is designed to grow tomatoes.

“This is really where a lot of your produce and things like that are being grown,” Siler said.

He added that App Harvest in Morehead is a 60-acre greenhouse using similar technology and it is transporting tomatoes up and down the east coast. The company recently announced that it was opening another facility in Pulaski County to grow strawberries.

“They are using hydroponics systems. There are all kinds of different hydroponics systems,” Siler said. “We are going to get this technology and this growing system in front of our kids so they know what it is about, if they choose a career in something like that.”

In response to a question by a board member about what is going to be done with the vegetables once they are grown, Siler noted that there has been talk about possibly selling the produce at the farmer’s market and using the money to help sustain the program, or possibly trying to get it in some of the school cafeterias.

Siler added that the program isn’t nearly to the point of being able to do that yet though.

“Ship it to Boston first,” Board Member J.E. Jones said laughingly.

In other business, the board:

• Approved a $41,490 payment to VanHook Enterprises Inc., which is the general contractor for the Whitley County High School Career and Technical Education Building project. Ground has officially been broken on the building, and this is the first payment to the contractor.

• Approved a $4,527.10 payment to S&ME Inc. for geotechnical work on the Oak Grove Elementary School Cafeteria expansion project.

Siler noted this is payment for the site survey, which marks all of the underground utilities and so forth.

“This would be really close to doubling the size of the current cafeteria,” Siler added.

• Accepted the Kentucky Education Technology Systems (KETS) $33,691 offer of assistance. School districts typically receive three offers each year that can be used for technology updates. The offer requires a match by the local school district.

“We do our best to stretch those dollars as far as they will go,” noted Chief Information Officer Kevin Anderson.

• Set the final 2022 fiscal year site-based decision making allocations at $100 per pupil, which is the same as the current amount.

• Presented the November Above and Beyond Award to Larry Widener, who is a custodian at Whitley North Elementary School.

• Recognized Lee Ann Kersey, who was recently recognized in a local survey as the best teacher in the tri-county area.