DARE-KY Events & News
Events & News
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A Student’s Idea Grows Into New Greenhouse at Tates Creek Middle School
LEXINGTON, Ky. — A question from a middle school student has grown into a new learning
space with deep roots in partnership, agricultural education, and community impact.
On April 2, Fayette County Public Schools, Kentucky State University, and Farm Credit
Mid-America celebrated the opening of a new greenhouse and land lab at Tates Creek
Middle School — a project that began with a simple idea from student Avery Adams:
“Can we get some gardens? Like a greenhouse?”
Adams, now a sophomore at Tates Creek High and Locust Trace AgriScience Center, returned for the ribbon cutting to see that idea fully realized.
The event program included remarks from Fayette County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Demetrus Liggins, Kentucky State University President Dr. Koffi C. Akakpo, Dr. Marcus Bernard, dean of the College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources and director of the Land Grant Program at Kentucky State, Council Member Amy Beasley, Farm Credit Mid-America Senior Vice President Mark Barker, and Ron Chi, chief innovation officer for Fayette County Public Schools, with Eli Parham leading the community acknowledgement and ribbon cutting.
After the ribbon cutting, current Tates Creek Middle School students led demonstrations showcasing the work already in action across the greenhouse and land lab, from hydroponics and aquaponics to other hands-on elements of the program. The new greenhouse and land lab will expand hands-on learning opportunities for Tates Creek Middle School students in plant science, agriscience, and food production. Students will explore growing methods such as hydroponics, aeroponics, and aquaponics, while also gaining exposure to post-harvest food safety, food sales, and farm financial management.
“This was about creating a space where learning feels real,” said Eli Parham, agriscience teacher at Tates Creek Middle School. “This space represents access and opportunity. And it’s all driven by curiosity and student leaders.”
For Kentucky State, the project reflects the University’s land-grant mission in action
— connecting students with applied learning, strengthening agricultural pathways,
and extending knowledge beyond the campus to serve the broader community. As Kentucky
State President Dr. Koffi C. Akakpo said at the project’s groundbreaking, “This collaboration
was truly led by the community, for the community, to enhance learning opportunities
to students.” He added, “The Outdoor Classroom poses an exciting opportunity for
students from Tates Creek Middle School to learn the best agricultural practices both
in theory and through hands-on practice led by our distinguished Kentucky State University
faculty.” The partnership also helped turn vision into reality. After the idea took
root at Tates Creek Middle School, Kentucky State helped connect the project with
Farm Credit Mid-America, whose support helped fund the greenhouse and surrounding
land lab. The result is an outdoor classroom designed not only for instruction, but
for discovery, mentorship, and long-term student growth.
Dr. Marcus Bernard, dean of the College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources
and director of the Land Grant Program at Kentucky State, said the project shows what
is possible when strong partners and motivated students come together.
“It is awesome when good intentions have great outcomes. This is the perfect example where we have partners who are excited to come together and work together, and students who are truly interested and invested in the project,” Dr. Bernard said.
“It is awesome when good intentions have great outcomes. This is the perfect example where we have partners who are excited to come together and work together, and students who are truly interested and invested in the project,” Dr. Bernard said.
“In this greenhouse we’re bringing aquaculture systems, hydroponic systems and traditional
growing systems together to give students an array of opportunities to learn.”
The greenhouse will support Tates Creek Middle School’s growing farm-to-fork efforts
and create new opportunities for students to engage in gardening, floral production,
and agriscience research. It also will help connect young people to the broader possibilities
within agriculture — from science and sustainability to food systems and workforce
pathways.
That longer view matters.
That longer view matters.
For high school sophomore Adams, the greenhouse is no longer just a middle school
memory. He reflects the kind of talent pipeline Kentucky State is helping cultivate
— one that begins with curiosity, grows through hands-on learning, and continues through
agricultural education, leadership development, and real-world experience. The project
also carries a strong community dimension. In addition to serving students, the greenhouse
and land lab are expected to support neighborhood access to healthy, locally grown
food and create opportunities for community education around agriculture and nutrition.
Tates Creek FFA Ambassador Ajong Kemcha, who spoke during the event, underscored
that potential: “This is another thing Tates Creek can add to its list of achievements.
This can elevate us.” What began as one student’s question is now a living classroom
— and a powerful example of what can happen when schools, community partners, and
Kentucky State come together to invest in the next generation.
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