Melissa Tracy

Tracy’s innovative teaching idea, “Tower Garden to Table,” offers a unique, semester-long course called “Food Studies” where students become food citizens – individuals who understand their food choices have a meaningful impact on personal, environmental, and community health. Students will use Tower Growing Systems, grow lights, and accessories to dive into the world of sustainability by learning about water conservation, organic gardening, and the urban farming movement. This project will enable students to engage in food production and harvesting all year and pilot a Geo-inquiry project that will incorporate a service-learning component focused on addressing food insecurity. Students will identify and map local food deserts in the community, engage in research, and collect data to understand the significance of the problem. They will donate all produce grown to a food bank in a food desert in the area and host a school community dinner. Tracy hopes the program will open students' minds to the possibilities for transforming the food system and empower them to advocate for change.