A farm grows in Queens

Old McDonald had a farm - and so does John Bowne High School in Flushing. In fact, students in the school cafeteria were able to lunch on sandwich wraps and pastas made with vegetables grown by their peers right on school property last week.
Bowne students enrolled in the Agriculture program planted and harvested all the vegetables used in the dishes. Thursday, October 4 marked the first time students were able to share their work with their classmates.
The event was held in cooperation with the school nutrition office after they approached the agriculture department about serving their organic produce as a way of promoting healthier eating to the students.
“People really seem to enjoy the food,” said junior Colleen Zou.
The idea of an agricultural program in a city school can be shocking.
“People are always surprised when people tell them I study agriculture,” said Zou, who is majoring in plants.
While many of their peers spend their school days solving algorithms and analyzing Huckleberry Finn, students enrolled in the agriculture program at Bowne are plowing fields and collecting eggs from the school’s on campus farm.
Students complete coursework in agricultural studies in addition to the regular coursework. The program teaches students to plant, harvest and sell the vegetables. The program is not a lecture-based curriculum; it gives students real hands-on experience.
During their first year, students take courses on both animals and plants. The students spend two summers working in the “land lab,” the 3.2-acre farm on campus.
During the summer between their freshman and sophomore year, students are given a 15-foot-by-15-foot plot of land that they are responsible for planting and harvesting. During their junior year, students select a specialty in either animals or plants.
“It’s great experience,” said Zou.
In the hen house last week, the students made their way through a throng of approximately 150 squawking chickens collecting eggs. While they made the task look effortless, junior Mohamed Siby said it was not always so easy.
“At first, we were all scared. We were like ‘I’m not going in there, no way,” said Siby, as the hens pecked at his shoes. “[My teacher] said that they liked black patent leather; I thought it was a joke!” the animal science major said.
For many of the students, the training serves as a stepping-stone to their future career ambitions. “I want to be a landscaper when I get older,” Zou said.
While Siby wasn’t sure exactly what he wanted to do after high school, he expressed the desire to work with animals in the future.
“Maybe I’ll be an animal groomer or something,” Siby said.
The students also learn about businesses by selling their vegetables at a farm stand right in front of the school, which is located at 63-25 Main Street.
“You learn how to communicate with people in a polite businesslike way,” said junior Jonathan Proano. While Proano plans to enter the New York Police Department, he plans to use the knowledge in the future by opening his own farm some day.
“This program is such a great experience, you learn so much,” said Zou.