Student leadership meets hands-on learning at our newest partner school in Gastonia, North Carolina.
We’re excited to welcome Piedmont Community Charter School as Garden 39 in the 100 Gardens family! The school’s new Aqueous Inspiration Garden brings student leadership, hands-on learning, and sustainability together in a living classroom. Source
A Student-Led Vision Takes Root
The project began with students ready to put sustainability into action. Piedmont’s High School Chick-fil-A Leader Academy was selected as one of only two schools nationwide to receive funding through Coca-Cola’s Sustainability Innovation Challenge. That support, paired with a partnership with 100 Gardens, helped students bring an aquaponics system to campus.
During their Leader Academy kickoff, students experienced the system for the first time alongside community partner Nolan Hatley, Owner-Operator of Chick-fil-A Cox Road. The school estimates the garden has the potential to grow 728 plants each year, creating opportunities to explore science, agriculture, sustainability, and technology. Source
A Living Classroom with Real-World Purpose
Students will operate and maintain the garden, building practical skills, practicing responsibility, and connecting classroom lessons to real-world experiences. Classes will use the system to explore the relationships among fish, plants, water, and sustainable food production. Source
Aquaponics makes those connections visible. Fish provide nutrients through their waste, and plants use those nutrients as they grow, helping clean the water for the fish. It’s an interconnected ecosystem—and an opportunity for students to discover how each part contributes to the whole. Source
At Piedmont, that living system creates a place for students to take ownership, ask questions, solve problems, and see their efforts grow.
To the students, educators, and partners who helped bring this vision to life: Welcome to the 100 Gardens family. We’re excited to grow with you!
Could Your School Be the Next Garden?
Bring hands-on learning and sustainable food production to your school or community. Apply to become the next garden and explore the possibilities with 100 Gardens.
