SUNRISE Greenhouse

As young people growing up in the 21st century, we are constantly surrounded by talk of sustainable, organic farming and how it is affecting us. We have been told countless times that we are the generation that can put an end to world hunger. It is up to us to find a solution.

All four of us are high school seniors at Rapoport Academy, where we are required to either write a thesis paper or conduct a STEM-based Capstone project. We have decided to team up together to build a greenhouse that we are calling SUNRISE (Serving Urban Needs by Redefining Inefficient Systems of Ecology). The name says it all; our goal is to build a greenhouse on the campus of Rapoport Academy Meyer High School that will not only produce a substantial amount of produce, but that will contribute to the overall well-being of the East Waco community. The greenhouse will utilize an aquaponic system, providing educational opportunities for students and healthy, organic food for the local community.

Of course, a task of this magnitude contains many moving parts. To manage these parts effectively, we have divided the responsibilities evenly among the four of us. Zachary Bartek, a prospective finance major, is in charge of managing our budget and applying for grants and donations. Layton Coker, a prospective political science major, is in charge of researching, designing, and managing the aquaponic system. Rachel McLean, a prospective economics major, is in charge of developing and designing the exterior and interior of the structure itself. Connor Wright, a prospective business administration major, is in charge of developing this greenhouse into a long-term project, forming relationships with local business that we could share our vegetables with, post-production.

Of course, this greenhouse is not the end-all solution for world hunger, but we see it as our small part in this greater journey. Any amount of money makes a huge difference, so please contribute whatever you can. Thank you for your contribution.