Rensselaer Partners
With Troy Schools To Bring Greenhouse Education to Students Project aims to engage young people in developing sustainable
communities
November 2017, Troy High School,
Troy, NY
Photos above were provided
by the RPI STEP Program
Earlier this fall, an opening celebration was held to unveil
a new greenhouse built over the summer at Troy High School.
The greenhouse project—to be used by Troy High School
and Troy Middle School students and students participating
in the Rensselaer STEP (Science and Technology Entry Program)—is
a collaboration between Rensselaer, Troy City School District,
and the community. The project is meant to engage young people
in developing sustainable communities. It will provide project-based
learning opportunities related to sustainable agriculture
for RPI STEP students in the Troy City School District, as
well as the Troy High School Environmental Club and Troy High
School and Troy Middle School science classes.
The project was funded in support of RPI STEP, a program
funded by the New York State Department of Education since
1986. RPI STEP encourages underrepresented and economically
disadvantaged students in grades 7 – 12 to pursue STEM
degrees and licensed professions. The program currently serves
132 students in the Capital Region, of which 30 percent attend
school in the Troy City School District.
“The idea for the project started in the spring of
2015,” said Cynthia Smith ’96, who serves as assistant
dean of students and director of pipeline initiatives and
partnerships at Rensselaer. Smith noted that Rensselaer alumnus
Sean Wilson ’15, who is also a Troy High School graduate,
had a vision of establishing a community greenhouse that would
engage young people in developing sustainable communities.
“We are always looking for new and creative project-based
learning opportunities to engage our underrepresented and
economically disadvantaged students in STEM,” Smith
said. “The greenhouse-related education that RPI STEP
students have been able to participate in has allowed students
to develop and present research projects related to urban
agriculture, local farming, and aquaponics—while also
connecting them to area organizations involved in the field.
The greenhouse project serves as a wonderful example of a
great collaboration between Rensselaer, the Troy School District,
and the local community. This is our way of planting a seed
early enough in the minds of today’s students to pursue
STEM, because we believe that this process starts long before
a student reaches college.”
“The Troy City School District is so proud to be part
of this collaborative effort with RPI STEP to bring more project-based
learning to our students,” said Donna Watson, Troy CSD
assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction. “The
greenhouse opens a world of possibilities to help us achieve
our mission of providing a strong educational and social foundation
to graduate all students college- and career-ready. Not only
does it provide hands-on learning opportunities in science,
technology, engineering, and math, it also offers our students
opportunities to use what they grow to help meet the needs
of others in our community. Students will have the chance
to make a difference right here on Troy’s campus that
could lead them to solve the larger environmental issues of
our time.”
Additional funders include the John Ben Snow Memorial Trust,
the Junior League of Albany, the Seymour Fox Memorial Foundation,
Whole Kids Foundation, and Wicked Smart Apparel. Troy CSD
also secured a grant from the Lowes Toolbox for Schools program.
In total, the outside funding raised in support of this project
was $57,500.