Montcalm High School wins $25,000 for greenhouse

Charles Boothe, Bluefield Daily Telegraph, W.Va.
·2 min read

Jun. 8—MONTCALM — Montcalm High School was the only school in West Virginia to win $25,000 in a program sponsored by State Farm Insurance.

The company announced the 100 State Farm Neighborhood Assist winners nationwide on Tuesday, with Montcalm's greenhouse project one of the winners with online voting.

The company saw 4,000 cause submissions entered in February at www.neighborhoodassist.com. The State Farm Review Committee selected the Top 200 finalists and public voting determined the Top 100.

Montcalm High teachers Amanda Feldes and Sarah Krondon submitted the grant application and their project, which is a greenhouse at the school that would allow students to grow edible plants year-round.

As part of the proposal, the teachers said students would learn to farm sustainably for their families, how to run a small business, and community members will circulate currency close to home rather than to national chain franchises. Students will gain valuable skills they can carry with them for a lifetime.

"We want to turn our hydroponics STEM (Science, Technology, Math and Engineering) lessons into a real greenhouse project to be set up behind the school," Krondon said. "The money from the grant would allow us to purchase the greenhouse. Students will learn how to sustain a garden as well as expand their palates. They will enjoy eating what they have grown as they learn how to take care of a garden, testing soil acidity and moisture."

The online voting started in late April and ended on May 6 with 88,000 people casting more than 2 million votes.

"State Farm is happy to celebrate its 100th anniversary by providing these 100 causes with grant money to help them address the needs in their communities," Rasheed Merritt, Assistant Vice President at State Farm, said in the announcement of the winners. "We look forward to seeing the impact these $25,000 grants will have."

In the 11 years of the program, nearly 500 causes have received a total of $12.5 million to enact change in their communities.

— Contact Charles Boothe at cboothe@bdtonline.com

Contact Charles Boothe at cboothe@bdtonline.com