Hydroponic garden; Waukesha North High School students make unique lunch

WAUKESHA, Wis. - Some Waukesha North High School students cooked lunch on Thursday, May 30, with food they grew in their classroom.

And they did it without soil.

At lunchtime at Waukesha North High School, the students do all the work.

SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News

The school invited members of the community to enjoy a meal cooked and grown in the classroom.

The School District of Waukesha introduced "hydroponics" this school year. The unit was paid for with grant money.

"This is a hydroponic farm," said Abby Brown with Fork Farms. "It’s growing year-round in water instead of soil."

Organic spinach, parsley, dill and mint were all harvested here for the meal. The main course, however, is a lesson about sustainability.

"This is nine square feet of space," said Brown. "But it would be a couple hundred square feet of space in traditional farming."

The students spent weeks planning, all while learning about how hydroponic crops are being used worldwide.

"We don’t really have any agriculture programming right now," said SDW Career and Technical education coordinator Mollie Haubenschild. "This fills that gap."

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX6 News app for iOS or Android.

Sophomore Katie Bell said this class taught her how to be confident in the kitchen.

"It can help grow fresh nutritious food," Bell said. "Even if you’re in the middle of the desert."

District leaders say in the future, they’d like to offer a hydroponic salad bar for all students. 

Guests even left Thursday’s lunch with an edible flower arrangement.