Green Roof has new life after cooperative effort
Green Roof sponsor, Mr. Tommy Collins.
(First published in our print edition – November 2021)
A beekeeper, a gardener, a jam maker, oh my!
When science teacher Tommy Collins first joined us at GRC he was asked by Agriculture teacher Terra Pigg if he wanted to take on the challenge of bringing the green roof back to life. Located outside of room 311, the green roof sat dormant for several years.
“It was a space that was being wasted,” said Pigg, “and now it’s being used.”
It has had an amazing transformation since Mr. Collins took over.
“The garden space had not been tended to for years,” said Collins. “It was very neglected and the only thing growing up there was weeds.”
A big thank you to Mrs. Pigg and Mr. Collins because the green roof is now filled with a strawberry patch, varying vegetables, all kinds of different flowers, and he hopes to bring in amphibians very soon.
Mr. Collins has a lot of practice taking care of bees, (see last year’s story on our website to learn more) so he can definitely handle amphibians.
The green roof is an amazing place to start learning about gardening and growing your own food.
Collins’ Botany class, Flight Time, and the Green Club work to preserve the garden in cooperation with the Agricultural classes.
The Clark County Public Library is providing Collins with seeds.
The future’s looking bright for the green roof, with arbors and a water feature coming very soon.
One of the many wonderful things that has happened as a result of the green roof is a delicious strawberry jam, grown right from the green roof.
Mr. Collins has generously shared the delicious treat with his co-workers and students as he did his honey last year.
“The strawberries started producing like crazy, so we needed to do something with them,” said Collins. Many teachers got the jam and they tried it out and loved it. If you’re lucky you might just try it one day.
Mr. Collins wants everyone to understand that anyone can garden. Gardening can happen anywhere if you just put a little effort in it. If you want to try your hand at gardening, join the Green Club.
“Whether they believe it or not,” said Collins, “everyone has a green thumb.”
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