Marblehead High School senior and Boy Scout Tyler Earp is now one step closer to the completion of his $75,000 project involving the revitalization of the school’s outside classroom area.
Thursday morning, Earp broke ground on the site, which will soon contain a greenhouse, two new raised beds, and native and pollinator plant species that will remove weeds and invasive plants.
Earp started the project more than two-and-a-half years ago to earn the rank of Eagle Scout in Scouts BSA. Eagle Scout candidates must complete a project that demonstrates leadership skills while also benefiting the community.
Earp took on an ambitious project that required $75,000 worth of funding. Though it was a tall task, he just recently hit that goal thanks to the help of the Marblehead community. Now, he will begin construction on the greenhouse.
“It was just a nice feeling to be able to actually break ground and see the project come to fruition,” he said.
Earp was joined by a number of school administrators including new Marblehead High School Principal Michelle Carlson, Assistant Principals Lindsay Donaldson and Dan Richards, and acting Superintendent Michelle Cresta. Jeff Tucker from Tucker Architecture and contractor Dwight Groom were also in attendance, as both are assisting Earp with construction.
The space will have a number of uses for students at the high school. While it will primarily be used for science classes, it will also benefit cooking classes, as any food or herbs grown in the greenhouse can be used in the kitchen. Biology classes will be able to use pea plants that are grown in the space for plant-cell studies, and art classes will be able to paint and draw the plants.
The high school also has a nature-writing class, so students will be able to use the greenhouse during the winter months, when it is typically harder to conduct class outside.
Earp said the old raised beds in the back of the school were taken out a few weekends ago and the foundation for the greenhouse will be placed in a few weeks.
“It’s all happening very fast,” he said. “It’s nice that it’s all finally coming (together) at this point.”
Despite the challenges and immense effort involved in the project, Earp is well on his way to turning it from a vision to a reality, and is thankful for the support he has received along the way.
“It’s a great feeling to have that support and I’ve reached my goal, so it’s exciting,” he said.
According to Earp, the project could be completed as soon as the end of October, depending on weather, and will be available for full use by the high school.
