Three Rivers Land Trust has presented the horticulture class at Stonewall Jackson Youth Development Center a $500 grant to improve a greenhouse and aquaponics system.

The grant was made possible through a partnership with Three Rivers and the Cabarrus County Community Foundation.

The students, led by teacher Terry Thomas, meet each morning to oversee selecting, planting, maintaining and harvesting plants. Often, the produce grown by the class is used by the cafeteria in meals served to students and staff.

The horticulture class includes a certification program broken into two-week modules. The modules are designed to teach students skills that prepare them for a career in horticulture. Some of the modules available to the students are soil science, composting and greenhouse management.

Stonewall Jackson Youth Development Center, in Concord, is a rehabilitation center designed to give at-risk youths an opportunity to continue taking high school courses or obtain their GED.

The Land Trust’s Leopold Society teaches youth participants in grades six to 12 about nature and conservation issues. Participants learn conservation techniques, outdoor skills, and hands-on natural resource stewardship and service.

They engage in outdoor recreation and skill-building activities. Many activities are completed independently with the intent to bring families together in the outdoors. The long-term goal of the program is to instill a love of nature that will translate into positive action as adults, according to Three Rivers Land Trust.

To learn more about how to get a school involved in the Leopold Society or how to support Three Rivers Land Trust, contact Steely Russell at 704-647-0302 or steely@threeriverslandtrust.org.