Polk Medical Center, Foundation Provided Funds for growing space
Note: The following item was edited and includes information from a release from Atrium Health Floyd and a posting from Polk School District on the new greenhouse at Rockmart Middle School. – KtE
Agriculture is getting another big boost within the Polk School District.
Students gathered with educators and local officials to open the doors of a new space for bringing life to plants no matter the weather in Polk. PSD & members of the Atrium Health Floyd-Polk Foundation gathered at Rockmart Middle School for a ribbon cutting at the new greenhouse.
The foundation donated a total of $125,000 for site work and the new greenhouse, which sits behind the middle school. Some vegetables started in the greenhouse have already been moved to nearby raised beds.
“Teaching students lifelong skills is one of our goals,” said Katie Thomas, Polk School District superintendent, during Friday’s event. “You’ve allowed us to make that happen even at an earlier age,” she said to foundation members who attended the event.
“I just wanted to say thank you. We have started out with a few vegetable projects and there are already some things planted in our raised beds,” said Jordan Atkins, the agricultural teacher at the middle school. “My whole goal is to help kids see where their food comes from. We showed them how to start from seeds right here in this greenhouse.”
Atkins said the school also hopes that students in the agriculture class might be able to eventually grow vegetables that can help feed other students who might need more nutrition at home.
The district’s announcement about the new greenhouse (along with the above photos) on social media today included a “huge THANK YOU to Atrium Health Floyd-Polk Foundation and the Polk School District Board of Education for their support in making this vision a reality. We cannot wait to see the growth and learning that will blossom from this amazing addition! 🌱💚”
Atrium Health Floyd-Polk Foundation was established in 2021 as a result of the strategic combination of Floyd and Atrium Health. The Foundation currently has assets valued at more than $200 million. Annual investment earnings on the assets are used to support Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center and Atrium Health Floyd Polk Medical Center, which in turn, awards grants to area agencies to address disparities in care and social determinants of health in northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama.
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