The uses for sweet potato, a low lying tuber, are becoming increasingly popular as the vegetable trends on social media among health devotees. And, students in the agriculture class at Elena Christian Junior High School (ECJHS) are paying attention. They are getting at the root of the expanding industry of sweet potato consumption, courtesy of Instructor Stanley Farrelly. A representative group of the Agriculture class, which could range from about 40 students, spend an hour of the school day digging into the soil and their efforts have been rewarded.
Recently, under the watchful eye of school administrators, Education officials, the media and other guests, the ECJHS agriculture students harvested a crop of sweet potatoes that took several loads of wheel barrows to haul away. The matured vegetables have to be cleaned of soil before consuming, especially when used in the school's cafeteria.
Elena's sweet potato crop began with a strip of old potato vine planted in arable soil in rows about a foot apart. The vine is planted in a sunny area and is occasionally watered and fertilized. It soon comes alive and starts to run around its environment. For about five months, the students tendered their plants using several methods to see if the root crop had matured.
ECJHS Principal Carlos McGregor and Assistant Education Commissioner Charmaine Hobson were impressed with the outcome of the students' hard work, and commended them for the time and energy they put into harvesting their sweet potato crop. McGregor and Hobson also recognized the students for the valuable lessons taught in classroom on the Agriculture industry.
