Two and a half years ago, Marblehead Eagle Scout Tyler Earp began a long journey of creating a greenhouse at Marblehead High School (MHS). Today, the greenhouse is in its last phases of completion.
Earp is a freshman at Baylor University with a concentration in chemistry and has been a part of Boy Scouts since he was in the second grade. He explained he began as a Cub Scout more than ten years ago and overtime worked hard to become the Eagle Scout he is today.
For his Eagle Scout project, Earp decided to do something that was meaningful to him and would benefit his community. Mixing his love of school and his joy in gardening, Earp came up with the idea of a greenhouse.
This project would benefit both the unused outdoor space and the class curriculum. Earp stated on his website about the greenhouse project, https://mhsgreenhouse.org, that the space outside had fallen into “disrepair” and was “underused” throughout time.
Earp hopes to impact the curriculum on a wide scale throughout MHS affecting the science, cooking, art, and foreign language classes. The different foods and plants being grown would help students understand science by conducting labs, while the various foods could be used to cook. Art students could paint or sculpt the different plants while foreign language students are given the option to grow Spanish or French foods.
The project was extensively thought out before presenting it to the School Committee. At the meeting, committee members voted to approve the project, and so began the valiant efforts of fundraising.
With an estimated total of $75,000, Earp had a long way to go in terms of raising the money. School Committee Co-Chair Sarah Fox said she saw him at every local event making efforts to fundraise.
Fox added, “He was so committed, I was in absolute awe of him,” when asked about Earp and the work she has seen him put into the greenhouse project.
At only 15 years old and a sophomore in high school, Earp began fundraising. He explained writing grants, reaching out to businesses for sponsorships, and online donations.
“When you’re 15 and asking for $75,000 for a project, it’s a lot to ask for,” Earp said. Despite the overwhelming amount, he raised more than the budget he created by the end of his junior year to accommodate any hidden costs.
Entering his senior year at MHS, the construction was underway. The foundation was the first piece in getting the greenhouse up, Earp explained. After the foundation was down, the ball was rolling. The greenhouse has now been up for approximately a year and is waiting on the final steps to put it to use.
At the Marblehead Facilities Subcommittee meeting on Thursday, members gave an update to let the entire committee know the final installations for water and electricity were in progress.
“I gained a lot of practical skills throughout this experience,” Earp said, talking about the entirety of the project and his tenure with the Eagle Scouts. He said becoming an Eagle Scout places more responsibility on the role of conducting projects on your own.
Not only was this project mentally laborious, but it was physical as well. Earp spent hours digging up invasive weeds and plants before the beginning of construction to prep the area and furthermore gave a helping hand in the construction process.
All in all, leadership, public speaking, communication, and fundraising skills are just a few of the many skills he has picked up during the project. These are also skills that will be carried with him for a lifetime.
By the spring, it’s hoped that the greenhouse will be in full swing and ready to positively impact MHS and its students.