Parsons USD 503 and staff at Parsons High School continue to embrace challenges in presenting students with new opportunities through the horticulture program at Parsons High School.
Art teacher Kelsey Fabrycky, at the request of students, started the horticulture program two years ago. With the help of the district administration navigating hurdles, she was able to secure a hydroponics lab for the program, allowing students to grow up to two acres of leafy green vegetables at a time with its vertical system.
This last school year, Fabrycky and her students made a presentation to the Grow Labette coalition, (otherwise known as LHEAT, Local Health Equity Action Team). The students expressed their hope to acquire a portion of the EPA G2G grant Grow Labette was distributing in order to purchase a gothic style hoop house style greenhouse that would allow students to grow other types of plants they could sell to support the program.
Grow Labette coordinator Lauren Coover said the EPA grant they were coordinating consisted of $16,000 annually each year for three years, and was focused on improving food systems in Labette County.
“Earlier in the year, maybe the beginning of February, we were told our funds were frozen and to halt all of our work, so we did, but we had already seen the presentation from Kelsey’s class. Her kids had come in and showed us what they do. It was a great presentation and as a group we decided yes, this would kind of be our priority project. It would be about $8,000 and spend about half of our budget,” Coover said.
The thought was since the grant had already been approved by the EPA, it would just be temporarily frozen.
“We spent two or three weeks with it frozen, and then they said proceed. I was told to hurry and get our action plans sent in to be approved by our fiscal sponsor and our regional lead, which is the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team (HBCAT). They worked with KU to get the funding from EPA,” Coover said. “Then, they suddenly said, ‘Nope, the grant has been ended. We are not going to get any funds. You may not even get paid for the last month.’
“We were just really disappointed,” Coover said. “But thanks to Jody Love, the director at HBCAT, she was able to secure that $8,040 for the Parsons High School project, because it had already been previously approved before they said the grant was being ended.
“I think that Jody made the point that this is work that was already done and the grant already approved. It was the only project that was able to be funded in Labette or Montgomery counties. They got that and they were able to pay me for the last month I had worked.”
Coover said she felt bad that the other grant applicants, who had hurriedly submitted action plans last minute after the initial freeze was lifted, were not able to receive the remainder of the EPA funds. The positive side is they will have good narratives ready to submit for other grant applications, she said.
During the second time the money was frozen Coover said they learned Fabrycky was resigning her position as a teacher.
“It’s just been a roller coaster this year. We have money. We don’t have money. We have money but no teacher. Then we don’t have money and then it’s ‘Yes, you will be getting a check,’ Coover said.
To Coover’s delight, and the delight of many others, Parsons High School now has not only the grant check for the greenhouse, but a new teacher for the horticulture program, and one with a degree encompassing horticulture.
Jim Gilpin, who taught construction trades at PHS during the 2024-2025 school year, will be adding the horticulture program to his schedule.
“We had to move some stuff around and nest some other classes to make it work,” he said. “My belief is you always do what’s best for kids and we’ll figure out the rest.”
Gilpin holds an ag ed degree, “which covers everything,” he said.
“I’ve taken greenhouse operation management classes. I’ve taken horticulture classes. I’ve taken plant science classes. I’ve taken agronomy. I’ve taken ag land management. And I’ve taught in a greenhouse before,” he added. “Since I’m a licensed teacher (in agriculture), as we develop these classes and go through, we can have them as funded classes now, where the state will give us funding.”
After initially agreeing to take the position, Gilpin said he was a little relieved at first thinking the EPA grant wasn’t going through because it would give him the next year to figure out the hydroponics container and get that going and not have to worry about the greenhouse.
“I was a little nervous at first about the lab. The only time I had been in that trailer was during in-service and it was in full operation and you walk in and it is like ‘Oh, there’s some sophisticated stuff going on here.’ But, I’ve been out there a couple times now since I knew I was going to take it over and I’ve seen the system is pretty simple once you see it,” he said.” It’s pretty automated. It’s just checking on it.”
Gilpin has been talking to the people from Leafy Greens, where the lab originated. Representatives are going to come this summer and walk him through operations. Now that the district has the grant funding for the greenhouse, Gilpin hopes to take care of most of that this summer too. He would like to get everything ordered and on site. He has a maintenance contract with the district this summer to remove the old tile from the high school kitchen and cafeteria and redo the floor.
“It would be nice if we had everything by that time so it would let me come out here as a part of maintenance and build the greenhouse, too,” he said.
Having someone come do the electric is not a concern, either. He plans to have his construction class wire up the outlets and do other basics. He and a licensed electrician can handle the major aspects.
“I think we can turn $8,000 in electrical costs into a couple of thousand pretty easy. That is kind of my plan,” he said.
Gilpin asked administration to allow Viking Farms, which is advanced students operating the hydroponics lab, and the horticulture class, which is an introductory class, to be split, so logistically, the classes are easier to manage.
“But my dream is the two will kind of work together,” he said. “I want to kind of mesh the two to use the greenhouse.”
Each class has room for 10 students.
Based on what he has seen of plant sales in the area, he believes that the advanced students can use the lab to start plants, and grow seedlings.
“The seedling starting area they have out there in the lab is awesome,” he said.
They can then move them out to the greenhouse.
“Then about mid-spring we can have a big plant sale. We’re not going to be able to grow enough to supply the entire community with what they want, but it is a service we can offer that will bring community to the school and show the good things happening at the school,” Gilpin said. “It will be good for the school and the community. Hopefully as you walk into the container, and the greenhouse, they will be full of plants, full of life. That’s my goal. And it involves the community as well.”
While he is interested in growing vegetables, he wants to see what lights up the students’ interest, because that is what makes a program successful, is when students get excited and take it on and take it over.
“I haven’t made too many plans yet. I want the kids to have some input into what we will be doing,” he said. “And one thing the kids will find out about me is … I will take them through as we’re doing it. I’m not a sit and read about it kind of person. I just naturally assume everyone else is like that, too. I cannot stand to sit and listen to a lecture. I just assume be out doing it.”