It’s Time to Reopen the KO Greenhouse
by Margaret Miller ’25
Are you aware that our school has a greenhouse? If not, you aren’t alone in this regard. Located on the top floor of CT on the west side of the building, the KO greenhouse is not accessible to students. The outdoor area, which consists of a small balcony patio and a glass-walled greenhouse, has the potential to enrich our environmental clubs and science classes while also brightening our campus if opened.
In its current state, the greenhouse is not fully abandoned; it is used by the Sage Dining staff to grow plants in their initial stages for later transfer to the KO Garden and eventually to our cafeteria. That being said, the greenhouse is not as bright as it looked when it was new. Though in use intermittently, there is a lack of consistent maintenance to the space that has allowed the greenhouse to fall into disrepair. In order to maintain it, repairs would need to be made, but the benefit would outweigh the small cost.
This article is prompted in light of the recent Green Team meeting where members discussed the possibilities for improvement of the greenhouse. “We could use the greenhouse to learn composting, soil, and planting techniques, and teach our community ways to preserve the environment,” junior and leader of Green Team Clara Drag suggested. The greenhouse would support our current clubs, as well as make opportunities to create new ones, such as a gardening club or a composting club.
Just as our clubs would flourish, our science classes would be able to incorporate more hands-on learning. The biology, environmental science, and chemistry classes could run new experiments that incorporate the long-term growth of plants, taking soil samples, or observing plant cells from campus. The possibilities are endless.
Not only would the greenhouse enhance our environmental clubs and classes, but the reopening of the greenhouse could solve another problem on campus: the lack of campus spaces for students to use during breaks. With a revamped greenhouse, additional outdoor seating would brighten up the space and allow students to enjoy the fresh air.
To conclude, reopening the greenhouse would pose a new responsibility for the KO community. Maintaining the space in an orderly state would be crucial going forward, following an initial repair. However, due to the many advantages it offers, now is the time to renovate and reopen the KO greenhouse.
