Brentsville District High School’s agriculture program is getting a new way to grow food for more of the year, thanks to a $5,000 grant from Sprouts Farmers Market. The money will pay for a hoop house, according to Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS).

The agriculture program will run the space together with students in special education programs and their teachers. School leaders hope to have it up and running by early spring.

Amy Beard, the school’s agriculture teacher, said she is excited to add a different kind of greenhouse for students to see. “All of our students can use it and learn things that are useful for them to feed themselves and their families,” she said.

The 30-by-30-foot hoop house is designed to extend the growing season without the added cost of heating or cooling. Students plan to grow thornless raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and quick-growing greens.

The berries will go into muffins, and the greens will be served as salads through the school’s Bengal Cafe. Tractor Supply Co. in Woodbridge is also partnering with the program and will provide raised beds for the project.

Allison Miller, a special education teacher at Brentsville, said the grant makes a farm-to-table experience possible at the school. Students will learn about healthy eating, food safety, meal preparation and the value of fresh, locally grown ingredients, she said.

“Watching the fruits and vegetables that they had a hand in growing become delicious meals gives our students a true sense of accomplishment and pride,” Miller said. PWCS said the space is also meant to support students in special education programs, letting them work alongside their peers while building life and workforce readiness skills.

Brentsville District High School is the home of the PWCS agriculture program, which the division’s website describes as a hands-on, nationally recognized pathway into greenhouse and nursery production, landscape design and turf management. It is a four-year sequence that runs from Horticulture Sciences through Landscaping II, and students can take leadership roles through FFA, the career and technical student organization for agriculture. It is a transfer program, so students from across the division can apply, and PWCS lists program details on its website.

Sprouts Farmers Market’s charitable arm, the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation, says it has supported school-based gardening and cooking programs since 2015. Its school garden grants, which it lists on its website, are worth up to $5,000 each.

Sources: Prince William County Public Schools; Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation.

Like what you read? Get The Gazette.

The Woodbridge Gazette is independent, hyperlocal news for Prince William County and surrounding communities, free in your inbox every Monday. Subscribe here.