A hoop house protects plants from the elements, creating a nurturing environment and a steady growing period. While temporary, they are useful tools when the outside world is unpredictable and ever changing.
It’s not unlike the nurturing environment Oberle Academy in Fredericksburg aims to provide to its approximately 40 students, aged 11 through 22.
Carter Garrison with Atlantic Builders helps put together the hoops for the greenhouse.
Founded in 1991, the private nonprofit day school works to educate and prepare students who struggle in a traditional school environment by providing specialized instruction, career readiness programs, small class sizes, and individual attention.
It was a fitting location for Atlantic Builders to help the school build a hoop house.
“Atlantic Builders were the title sponsor of our golf tournament, and they heard we wanted to put a greenhouse out here,” said Al Fagan, president and CEO of Oberle. “So they designated their tournament fees toward the project. And then at the tournament, Brian (Roinestad) came up to me and asked how we were planning on putting this thing up. I told him my maintenance director was going to do it and Brian said don’t worry about it, we will send a crew and put it up and pay for it all.”
Brian Roinestad (far right) observes as volunteers from Atlantic Builders work to erect a hoop house at Oberle Academy. (Photos by Kathy Knotts)
The 20-foot-by-40-foot greenhouse structure is covered with plastic and will initially be used by a school gardening club, said Oberle teacher Kermit Davis. The club will grow flowers and vegetables in raised beds in the hoop house, contributing produce to the school’s kitchen and selling cut flowers for a fundraiser.
Students in Oberle’s culinary arts program plan prepare school lunches and will also be involved in growing fruits and vegetables in the hoop house. They currently purchase food from area grocery stores and harvest a few herbs from a tiny, raised garden bed on campus.
Eventually, Davis said the school hopes to launch a horticulture curriculum.
“It was Mr. Fagan’s idea,” Davis said. “At first we thought about doing hydroponics but realized the hoop house would be cheaper since we don’t have unlimited funds and won’t need electricity.”
Funding became even less of an issue after Atlantic Builders covered the cost of the $8,000 structure and installed it for the school over two days last week.
Brian Roinestad, director of purchasing at Atlantic Builders, was on hand with a group of volunteers to get the hoop house assembled.
“This year we started to do something a little bit different in that we broke up into teams and went out to find local charities that we can do a nice project for, help them with something and our group chose Oberle school,” Roinestad said. “This is probably the first hoop house Atlantic Builders has ever built — and no, this is not an option on our homes.”
Volunteers from Atlantic Builders put together a hoop house.
Oberle prides itself on the many career development programs and life skills it offers students, and the hoop house will be a part of that.
“This is something they can take away with them once they graduate,” Davis said. “It’s a life skill and growing things is therapy in itself.”
“It’s a great idea,” added Paul Jett, the school’s main full-time maintenance worker. “It’s a learning experience for the kids. To get them outside, in nature, and see how things grow.”
That’s the ultimate goal for the students, said Fagan.
“I wanted something where the kids could get their hands right into it. I want them to be able to come in here and grow some items that we actually serve in our cafeteria. I think that would go a long way of just building up their confidence and building up their self-esteem,” he said.
