Two greenhouses sit on the campus of CAHS in downtown Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas. A variety of herbs, flowers and tea bushes are grown in the greenhouses.
In celebration of National Agriculture Week, March 20-24, 2017, the Department of Education, in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, hosted a series of activities and events highlighting the agricultural developments at public schools across the territory.
On March 23, several schools opened their campuses to the public for school farm tours. Charlotte Amalie High School (CAHS) highlighted its greenhouses, banana tree grove and fruit trees planted on campus.
Under the leadership of principal Alcede Edwards and agriculture teacher Elvette Elliott, agriculture students and members of Future Farmers of America (FFA) use the entire campus as a garden. Two five-year-old greenhouses sit on the west of the school's campus, filled with plants such as basil, lemon grass, cherry tomatoes, lettuce, chives, sugar apple, pomegranate, okra, and eggplant.
Planted parallel to the school’s buildings are mango trees, papaya trees, graft lime trees and pineapples. Some of the produce are given to the kitchen to be used in the School Lunch Program under the Farm to School initiative.
In addition to the greenhouses and fruit trees, CAHS boasts a banana tree grove. Off to the southwest corner of the campus, more than 40 banana trees sit with dozens of almost-ripe banana hands. There is also one row of graft lime trees and one breadnut tree.
Students have their hand in nurturing seedlings, grafting trees, monitoring progress and harvesting produce.
Charlotte Amalie, along with many other schools across the territory, is leaving its green thumbprint on the Virgin Islands where the agriculture industry continues to expand.
