Students Step Up For Sustainability

What happens when you ask four 9th graders to create a solution for increasing healthy food availability or encouraging healthy behaviors within their community?

If they’re my team of freshmen from Johnston County Early College Academy, they develop the Grotesque Grocer, a program that works with normal food distributors and local farmers to sell perfectly edible but irregular produce at discounted prices. Then they present their proposal to a panel of industry and higher education professionals and win a $2,000 first prize to implement their ideas! 

This amazing experience began earlier this year with the NC New Schools / Breakthrough Learning Innovation Challenge. Teams of four to six students were invited to use practical skills including research, teamwork and communication to develop their ideas for increasing healthy food availability or encouraging healthy behaviors within their community. Teachers and industry professionals advised the teams during the planning process. Christopher Gergen of HQ Raleigh and NC New Schools staff brainstormed with industry partners, entrepreneurs, students and teachers to craft the challenge theme and format. 

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Amanda Rowland has been a teacher in Johnston County for 17 years. She has taught English and history at Johnston County Early College for 7 years.