By Morgan Siem
Carrboro Commons Writer
Visitors to Frank Porter Graham Elementary School might notice a change of scenery at the “Home of the Lions.†Along the sidewalk of painted lion paws is the greenhouse, which until last week was in obvious disrepair. Now it is ready to welcome classes of young scientists after being renovated on Saturday.
“It looks beautiful,†science teacher Livy Ludington said Monday. “It was so nice to come in to school today and see it like that.â€
The renovation project began after Ludington asked her classroom aide, Randall Berg, if he might be able to do some minor repairs to the greenhouse, which has a base of 12 square feet and a height of 8 feet.
“He ended up exceeding all expectations,†she said. “He really took it on and found friends to help.â€
Berg, a 20-year-old from Miami, is studying history and the “Curriculum in Peace, War, and Defense†at UNC while preparing for medical school. He volunteers on Tuesdays with Ludington’s science classes.
“I think it’s great for the kids to have the experience growing things,†Berg said, “because it was one of my favorite things when I was in elementary school. I liked watching things grow and continue on. Some students will even get the chance to eat what they’ve grown.â€
Back in Action
Ludington said that the timing of the renovation was good because third-grade classes will soon plant seedlings of cool-weather crops such as lettuce, spinach and broccoli.
“The students will finally understand why it is called a greenhouse,†Ludington said. “It’s much more meaningful when it’s actually green inside.â€
The science classes did not use the greenhouse last fall “because after seven or eight years, the plastic had just deteriorated,†Ludington said.
“The new plastic sheeting that we used to cover the greenhouse is thicker than the first kind that was used,†Berg said. “It will last longer, be warmer inside and trap the moisture better.â€
Ludington said that Berg has been an important asset to the class, not only for the help he’s done with the greenhouse, but also for the contributions he makes in class every Tuesday.
“The kids love him,†Ludington said. “We tell them he’s a Tar Heel, and they’re such basketball fanatics. They also just love having a young person around.â€
Berg makes the experiments more relevant for the kids by explaining to them how their experiments relate to what he’s learning in college, Ludington said.
To complete the renovation project on Saturday, three of Berg’s friends from UNC joined him: his roommate Munashe Magarira, a sophomore from Phoenix majoring in political science and English; Luke Martin, a senior from Austin majoring in economics; and Danny Randolph, a junior from Raleigh majoring in the classics.
Magarira, 18, said that he enjoyed the work.
“It’s really cool that Randall went out and did that,†Magarira said. “The teacher just kind of told him that there was a need, and he just went out and did it. For him, it was just a matter of giving back, getting people together and having a lot of fun.â€
Magarira said it gave him a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day because the results were so visible.
“Instead of just sleeping in and not getting anything done on a Saturday, we did something productive,†he said.
While renovating the greenhouse, Randall Berg and his friends stripped off the old plastic sheeting and removed the old staples and reinforcements. After picking weeds from the gravel floor, they moved the gravel to put down plastic sheeting to prevent the weeds from growing back. Finally, they put new plastic sheeting on the walls and roof and replaced the shelves.
“Now these kids can really go out and get their hands in the soil and grow plants, instead of just reading about it in a book,†Ludington said. “The whole idea of the science program here is to be hands-on and inquiry-driven. With Randall here, we have more adults, and we can really make that happen.â€
Morgan Seim is a UNC-CH student writing for the Carrboro Commons, the bi-weekly online lab newspaper for Carrboro produced by Jock Lauterer’s Community Journalism class.