When students and faculty at Boyd Buchanan School sit down for lunch in the cafeteria, they know exactly where their food is coming from. Everything used in their meals is grown or raised on school grounds as part of their Agriscience Program.
In February, state officers finalized Boyd Buchanan's Future Farmers of America charter, making it the first Independent School FFA Chapter in Tennessee. Melissa Owens, head of BBS' Agriscience Program, said students have been a driving force in cultivating the program.
"It started out [freshman year] as a few of us guys bringing up ideas of bringing chickens to school or having different kinds of livestock around the campus," said Will Watkins, a senior at the school.
Boyd Buchanan's Agriscience Program was hatched from students' desire to bring chickens to school, like the one Elizabeth Hoilmann is holding.Over the course of his sophomore and junior years, they cultivated "Blue Thumb Gardens," their on-site farm, and brought in chickens.
Boyd Buchanan now has herb beds, a bee colony and a chicken incubator. Students practice sustainability by using fruit and vegetable compost in soil for the beds and using coffee grounds to feed fly larvae, which in turn are fed to the chickens.
"We decided we wanted to bring these things to Boyd Buchanan because we feel so many people are far away from knowing where their food comes from and having a relationship with the environment," Owens said.
Jax Price, another Boyd Buchanan senior, said he grew up around farms his entire life, primarily raising cattle, but his school's program has helped him develop a passion for all areas of agriculture.
"Once I started to get involved with the plant side and seeing where our food comes from I've grown even more of a passion for [agriculture]," Price said.
Teachers and administrators are extremely supportive of the program and said they are already seeing the benefits at the school. Owens said students are getting hands-on, valuable experience and are proud that they grow their food on campus.
The school plans to utilize its 52 acres of land to continue developing and adding to the program.
The establishment of an FFA chapter has also opened the door to a Veterinary and Animal Science Program of Study. The related courses will be implemented over the next several years, starting out with small animals such as pigs and sheep, and advancing up to large animals like cows.
Watkins, Price and other students involved in the Agriscience Club have planned with Owens to build a barn on campus.
"I very much want this program to be a part of the school's efforts to promote sustainability by modeling a heritage lifestyle to our students and surrounding community," Owens said.
Email Kaitlin Colon at kcolon@timesfreepress.com.