Donations for learning center top $2.1M

What began as a modest, student-led initiative to raise money to construct a greenhouse near Whitefish High School has snowballed into private donations totaling $2.1 million to construct, staff and start up the Center for Sustainability and Entrepreneurship.

On Tuesday, Whitefish School District Superintendent Heather Davis Schmidt announced the news to a room of parents and students from the elementary, middle school and high school who were also presenting — science fair-style — their efforts and research into sustainable practices.

The district will now move forward in finding a contractor to build the center that will be located on more than 3 acres of land at Pine Avenue and East Fourth Street.

Approximately $1.8 million of the total donation will be used to construct the center, which will encompass a greenhouse, a two-story classroom building, gardens, orchard, experimental forest, native grass meadow, wet meadow detention pond and trails. Remaining funds will be used for start up costs and staffing over the next five to six years.

The facility will be built with sustainability in mind to create a “zero-net energy building,” the first in Montana according to Davis Schmidt, using geothermal and solar panel systems for energy and rainwater capture systems to irrigate the greenhouse.

The goal is to have students in all grade levels using the center and to ramp up high school curriculum in the areas of energy, agriculture, forestry, natural resources and entrepreneurship according to curriculum director Ryder Delaloye.

“All students engage in hands-on learning and that hands-on learning allows for them to really learn about sustainability as opposed to conceptualizing. So this greenhouse will also provide food — fruits and vegetables — to various buildings,” Delaloye said.

Earth sciences teacher and Freeflow Club adviser Eric Sawtelle recalled the grassroots effort to fundraise for a greenhouse beginning in 2014. That grassroots effort by high school students in the Freeflow and environmental clubs raised $70,000 by 2015, which became the seed money to begin designing the revised project.

“We were looking at building a straight up greenhouse,” Sawtelle said. “We had two options, ‘A’ and ‘B.’”

The Center for Sustainability and Entrepreneurship offers “fantastic opportunities,” for learning he said.

“With the designs we try to incorporate different learning spaces,” Sawtelle said. “Beyond the greenhouse itself, now we have a landscaped, experiential learning center for outdoor projects. A water retention area from the high school building will become native plant wetland. [There will be] native grassland and an experimental forestry zone to the north [and a] vegetable growing space.”

At one table of student presenters, Whitefish High School juniors Emily Clark and Cole Porterfield were talking about their research on urban forestry in Whitefish. Clark said she has been involved with the greenhouse project since freshman year and is excited to see it come to fruition.

“It’s definitely very interactive,” Clark said. “For me, I’m a very interactive learner and I need to be able to see things — I think a lot of kids are.”

The center will teach students about the latest sustainable practices and technologies in a future where industries like agriculture or forestry may look completely different. That’s important to young students like Clark and Porterfield.

“It’s going to be very important for future generations,” Clark said.

Sustainability is a district-wide focus, from the classroom to building maintenance and food services. The district is sharing a “sustainability coordinator” with the city of Whitefish to develop an energy conservation plan and complete an energy audit.

Some of the improvements — such as adding insulation to cold areas on buildings — were presented to the public on Tuesday.

These efforts are, in part, an effort to be named to the U.S. Department of Education’s Green Ribbon Schools. Green Ribbon Schools strive to “reduce environmental impact and costs; improve the health and wellness of schools, students, and staff; and provide environmental education, which teaches many disciplines, and is especially good at effectively incorporating STEM, civic skills, and green career pathways,” according to the U.S. Department of Education.

Davis Schmidt said the district’s application has been submitted and will find out if it made the cut on Earth Day, April 22.

Hilary Matheson is a reporter for The Daily Inter Lake. She may be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.