Money earned by a Crawfordsville Elementary student three years ago as a Fred Meyer essay contest winner will now grow over the years, thanks to the new greenhouse built by the Building Technology class at SHHS.
Benny Dehlenburg’s class used about $1,500 of the $5,000 award earned by Rebekah Joiner, now 14, and an eighth grade student at East Linn Christian Academy.
The remainder of the funds will be used to fill the 10 X 16 structure with benches and eventually with plants that will go into community service projects throughout Crawfordsville.
Joiner said the essay focused on how she would use the $5,000 award for her school.
“I had just read an article about a girl who started a chain of green houses and I thought this would be a great idea for our school,” Joiner said.
Joiner also earned a $1,000 savings bond for herself.
Friday afternoon Mr. Dahlenburg’s students, principal Keith Winslow, Joiner and her mother, were on hand to officially site the project.
Students built the structure out of cedar and sheets of plastic. The plastic was removed during transport. The unit was reassembled on site.
Principal Winslow said the new green house is a welcome addition to the school.