Harvest Baptist Academy students learn leadership, business skills through school's greenhouse

Fourteen-year-old Kate Blakeslee is considering a future in medicine but said she’s learning crucial career skills through a new elective, greenhouse entrepreneurship, at Harvest Baptist Academy in Fawn.

“We learn time management and teamwork, which are both important in any path you follow,” said Kate of Saxonburg.

“We’ve gotten lectures from small-business owners who showed us the importance of good business foundations for any career.”

The greenhouse — part of the school’s $500,000 STEM initiative in recent years — is meant to combine hands-on lessons in sustainability with finance and management skills.

“We’re using this to train up our next generations of leaders,” school volunteer Paul Jorgensen said.

The school offers about 20 electives to introduce students to different interests that support alternatives to college.

“Not everyone is going to want to continue their education,” Jorgensen said. “We want to equip them with a variety of skills to help them be successful in whatever path they choose.”

The two-story, hemlock greenhouse was constructed about two years ago at the private school off Route 908. The cost was about $100,000 and involved an army of school volunteers to erect the Harvest Gardens building on campus.

Equipped with heated floors to provide year-round instruction, the greenhouse is home to tubers, bulbs, cuttings and a new carnivorous plant collection that includes Venus flytraps.

Students tend to geraniums, foxglove and salvia; as well as crops of veggies, including cucumbers and tomatoes, that help feed students at lunch and also bring in profit from community sales.

Proceeds are split between community grants and supporting school electives.

“The idea isn’t to make a bunch of money,” Jorgensen said. “We want to honor God, bless others and learn.”

Through the entrepreneurship elective, the greenhouse is run like a pseudo business, giving students experience in operations, marketing, finance, research and development.

Student Addison Wilson, 15, of Harrison said she has learned about customer service, teamwork and compromise. She said students were tasked with creating a mission statement, designing a logo and devising prices for the plants and vegetables.

“It’s super cool to learn to collaborate and get things done in an organized way,” said Kylee Jones, 13, of Fawn. “It’s all important stuff for when you grow up.”

Madika Moran, 15, of New Kensington said lessons on how to peacefully maneuver disagreements will serve everyone well.

“There’s a lot of debate when there are so many different opinions,” Madika said. “We are learning to navigate through the chaos.”

This month, the class is tending to 100 colorful mums to be sold in October. It’s good prep for spring, when they plan to grow and prune 1,000 hanging baskets and patio pots for a Mother’s Day sale.

For volunteer Yanina McMann, an accountant from Winfield, coaching the students through finance lessons has been fulfilling.

Watching them brainstorm, disagree and learn how to thrive is exciting, McMann said.

“These are the tools they need for adulthood,” she said.