USA - ARKANSAS - VIDEO: Jacksonville Students Grow Food and Community Through Hydroponic Program, JR MANRRS Club

by Autumn Foltz

December 19, 2025

JACKSONVILLE, Ark. (KATV) — At Jacksonville Lighthouse Charter School, students are learning science beyond the textbook by growing plants indoors through a student-led hydroponic program, JR MANRRS Club, or Jr. Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences Club, which also gives back to the community.

The soil-free growing system allows students to cultivate vegetables using water, light and carefully monitored nutrients.

Educators said the hands-on approach teaches science, sustainability and responsibility while connecting classroom lessons to real-world impact.

“This is science. This is technology. This is the new way things are going to go,” said Jill Herrin, a fifth and sixth-grade science teacher and advisor for the school’s JR. MANRRS Club, which focuses on agriculture and natural resources.

Inside the school, hydroponic towers stretch upward, creating a controlled growing environment where students manage each step of the process.

Seeds are first germinated in the classroom before being transferred into the towers, where students adjust lighting, nutrients and water levels.

Herrin said the system helps students understand conservation in a practical way.

“I want them to understand how much land we can conserve by farming this way,” she said. “We can conserve our water resources. We can conserve our land resources when we start to grow up indoors instead of out.”

Students take on specific roles to keep the system healthy. Seventh grader Benjamin described the towers as a customizable irrigation system that allows students to monitor and adjust multiple variables.

Another seventh grader, Kallie, said her job is to check nutrient and pH levels to ensure the plants remain balanced.

For many students, the experience has reshaped how they think about food and agriculture. Eleventh grader Aizaiah said participating in the program feels meaningful.

“Feels great. Feels powerful. Feels like we’re doing something for the greater good,” he said.

The vegetables grown in the towers are donated to families through a local food pantry, reinforcing lessons about service and community support. Sixth grader Major said knowing that the produce helps others makes the work rewarding.

“It feels good, because I know I’m helping people,” he said.

Herrin said students take pride in giving back and fully embrace the program’s mission. As the hydroponic initiative expands across grade levels, school leaders hope it continues to show students that food can be grown and shared regardless of space or location.

The ultimate goal, Herrin said, is to empower students with the knowledge that they can support their communities wherever they live.

The soil-free growing system allows students to cultivate vegetables using water, light and carefully monitored nutrients. (Photo: KATV)