After a successful first year with Connally Elementary School, Growing Leaders and Learners had the opportunity to branch out to Bell’s Hill Elementary, a local Waco ISD school. In this budding partnership, Baylor engineering, education, and social work students met with BH leaders to develop an aquaponics system and holistic lesson plans. Using the aquaponics system, students envisioned curricula that met the standard TEKS while also teaching gardening, character development, and entrepreneurship.
Because of COVID-19, the actual building of the aquaponics system has been delayed. In the meantime, Growing Leaders and Learners created a take-home, DIY aquaponics project for 4th and 5th grade students at BH. The students were excited to take care of their new fish and younger students were eager to do the project when they reached 4th grade. Not only will the DIY aquaponics project happen again next year, but Baylor engineering students will also build a full-sized aquaponics system for BH.
Growing Leaders and Learners is excited for the opportunity to work with BH and develop their aquaponics program!