In October 2024, Crookston High School Industrial Tech teacher Travis Oliver and, at the time, agriculture teacher Carolyn Pavlish presented to the school board on a plan to build a greenhouse after receiving a grant from the University of Minnesota Extension. Over the winter, they worked on the plan, and in May, they started construction with help from Neil Benoit, Phil Bertils, Knife River, and the materials were purchased at Crookston Building Center.
One of the students working on the greenhouse is Grant Funk, a junior. “I was part of building all the walls that go up around the building and putting the sheeting on. We have to work as a team. And like I say, safety first at all times,” said Funk. “I think it’s a really cool situation where it’ll be here for years on end. I Just like working with all the guys and just communicating.”
Another student working on the greenhouse is Dexter Janek, a senior. “I’ve bounced around, building all different things. I’ve nailed in some studs, and I’ve been working on the thicker studs recently for the supports. But yeah, I’ve been bouncing around,” Janek added. “My favorite part has just been watching it all come together, you know, from nothing. And then a couple weeks, we already got it built up. So that’s been pretty cool.”
Now that October 2025 is here, the 24-foot-wide and 44-foot-long greenhouse is taking shape thanks to the hard work of volunteers and two Crookston High School Greenhouse Construction classes. “You can drive by and actually see some progress. Over the summer, we got big help from Ben Capistran, Kevin and Lori Capistran, Emily Smith, and Leah Johaneck. They came and helped. But they were a big help, letting us use their bobcat to place the foundation and the rock and prepare everything for the first day of school. Not necessarily knowing what would transpire for the school year, with all the stuff over the summer, we came up with a new class called Greenhouse Construction. So, it’s a fitting name.“
Oliver said the project has been a learning experience for everyone. “I’m going off of a University of Minnesota plan, and we’re nip and tuck on that and trying to make sure everything is good, and it’s going to be a project that will last 100 years,” said Oliver. “I’m not trying to cheap out on anything. I’m not trying to cut any corners. I’m trying to make sure that the kids in the class understand what we’re doing, how it’s being built, and why it’s being built that way. Then, the jigsaw puzzle becomes a bunch of material; it is the final result of a greenhouse or a finished project.”
There are 21 kids in the sixth hour and 18 kids in the seventh hour. Greenhouse Construction classes, and while it is a challenge with that many kids, it also means they can make some good progress. “I don’t know if these kids are going to go out and build a bunch of greenhouses, but the concepts definitely pass over into a whole bunch of different building aspects,” said Oliver. “Building a house, a shed, a garage, at least knowing the components and knowing, you know, when you’re doing a structure like that or having some familiarity with it is a big plus.”
The students building the greenhouse aren’t the only ones who will benefit from the project. “The end goal of the greenhouse was to create opportunities within the greenhouse,” said Oliver. “So not only are we creating opportunities by building the greenhouse with the kids, but when the end result happens, there will be opportunities inside the greenhouse to have additional classes and additional things that other schools don’t have.”
It is a great learning opportunity for the students. “Hopefully, we’re shingling by the end of October. Then, on the other side, the panels go on, then it’s inside work or some stuff we have to do on the inside,” said Oliver. “So there’s always going to be something to keep us busy. And, of course, there’s stuff in the classroom that we’re looking at. I do some quizzes and tests on stuff we’ve done.”
According to Oliver, the hope is to have the greenhouse done by January. They have made great progress in one month and hope to keep it going in the next three months.
