Category: Media Coverage

Media coverage for the Greenhouse Project

Keweenaw Report

I did an interview with Rick Allen on The Lift 99.3 on April 25th, 2018. He posted the information on their website for the Keweenaw Report.

CCISD Needs Help To Reassemble Greenhouse

The Copper Country Intermediate School District has a greenhouse for their students to learn from, now they just need some help putting it back together.

For years, the CCISD used the greenhouse located on the property of Copper Country Mental Health for students in their Community Transition Program.

The structure was recently donated to the district and will be relocated to at the Copper Country Learning Center in Hancock once it’s reassembled.

Greenhouse Project manager Karyn Juntenun is working to help raise the $10,000 needed for the work.

Juntenun said, “Of the $10,000, I’ve been able to write grants with some co-workers of mine and we’ve also have had service organizations donate money and I’ve been doing presentations at service organizations to ask for more money and also interest in time and materials or volunteer hours for work bees when we do put the structure back up.”

The plan is to have the foundation poured by June and the whole structure completed by November.

When it reopens, the greenhouse will be available to all CCISD students.

Information on how to support the effort can be found on the Copper Country ISD Greenhouse Project Facebook page.

 

http://www.keweenawreport.com/news/local-news/ccisd-needs-help-to-reassemble-greenhouse/

 

Keweenaw Report (2/22/18)

Copper Country Mental Health Donates Greenhouse To CCISD

Students in the Copper Country Intermediate School District will learn how to grow their own plants and to produce food in a greenhouse donated by Copper Country Mental Health.

The CCISD Community Transition Program has used the structure for the past 15 years at the Rice Memorial Building for their greenhouse plant sales fundraising project.

The CCISD Board approved a proposal at the February meeting to initiate the foundation and construction of the donated commercial steel and polycarbonate sheeting greenhouse structure with all its components on the CCISD Learning Center grounds in Hancock.

Pouring of the concrete foundation, reassembly of the structure and a universal design for the interior of the greenhouse that will be accessible for all students with disabilities is expected to be completed and functional by April 2019.

Michigan Common Core Science lessons are taught to the students through hands on activities in the greenhouse.

The lessons taught by selling the plants for a fundraiser have taught many skills that have generalized into the work place and the community.

http://www.keweenawreport.com/news/local-news/copper-country-mental-health-donates-greenhouse-ccisd/

News Media (Feb. 21,2018)

 Rehabilitating a greenhouse for teaching

Katrice Perkins/Daily Mining Gazette Karyn Juntunen shows off one of the parts of the original plan of the building that will be used for the gardening project

The Copper Country Intermediate School District agreed to support Community Transition Program teacher Karyn Juntunen’s efforts in rehabilitating the greenhouse for school-wide use.

Juntunen presented a proposal to the board, including a budget that showed the layout of the building, her plans for it, the accessibility for her students and many photos at the meeting on Tuesday evening.

The greenhouse was donated to the CCISD from Copper Country Mental Health in September.

Juntunen said she received a call that they were going to be tearing it down and wanted to donate it to them.

“They said it was a no-brainer that they would donate it to us,” said Juntunen. “I was really excited and we thought we’d bring it here so that all students of the ISD could use it, not just my students.”

The estimated budget is $10,000, but she believes they can offset some of the cost with generous volunteers and donations.

“We’re going on the premise that we are in the Copper Country and people are going to help,” Juntunen said. “Just by word of mouth, I’ve already received a handful of guys that are already willing to help. I have some resources that are willing to donate help and time.”

Juntunen has already received a $3,000 donation from an anonymous person.

Juntunen, who teaches adults with cognitive impairments in a satellite program, started gardening with her classroom about 15 years ago as a way to teach life and work skills.

Her students range from the age 18-26. The students help plant, transport and sell the plants while being offered a stipend for their work.

http://www.mininggazette.com/news/local-news/2018/02/rehabilitating-a-greenhouse-for-teaching/