Sustainability Through Engineering: Inside Stuart's Hydroponics Lab

Robert Missonis is the Assistant Head of School and Head of Middle School at Stuart

What happens when students move from learning about engineering concepts to actually engineering something that works? In a new micro/macro experience in the Upper School, students didn’t just study sustainability and hydroponics; they built fully functioning hydroponic systems from the ground up. This new elective and course structure, piloted in the Upper School this year, started with a "micro" course where students learned the concepts and skills around engineering and hydroponics, and then moved to a "macro" course, which is a trimester course that allowed them to dive in and get hands-on in actually making their learning come to life!

The Micro: Foundations in Engineering and Sustainability

The journey began with a micro-course offered during Flex. This was a focused exploration of sustainability and engineering. Though brief, meeting once per cycle, the course introduced students to the fundamentals of:

• Engineering
• The Design Process
• Basic Circuitry
• Solar water pumps
• Sustainable agriculture systems
• The science behind hydroponics

As Ms. Anna Kachmarski reflected, the micro class laid essential groundwork. Students began thinking like engineers: identifying problems, exploring possible solutions, and understanding how electrical, agricultural, and environmental systems interconnect. Even in its short format, the course planted seeds of curiosity.

 

The Macro: Application Through Creation

The macro course, which ran for a full trimester, transformed theory into practice. Students worked in pairs to design and construct different systems, including:

• Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) systems
• NFT systems with wick components
• An aeroponics system

They developed shopping lists, created budgets, and made a real-world trip to Home Depot to purchase materials. After winter break, they brought the end of C-Corridor to new life as they set up their living lab.

And this was no simulation.

The systems now function in real time. Seeds are planted. Water flows. Artificial sunlight lights operate remotely through the students' phones. The systems will be maintained for the remainder of the year, meaning students are accountable not only for design but for sustainability and long-term care.

Engineering as Iteration

As Aurelia, one of the student engineers, shared, "The design process was really interesting as there were many different processes to balance and problems to overcome." Nothing worked perfectly on the first try. Students troubleshot plumbing challenges by fixing leaks, balanced water flow, adjusted light timing, and refined structural stability. Trial and error was not a setback, it was the curriculum. They experienced firsthand what engineers know well: failure is feedback.

 

Why This Matters: The Power of Experiential Learning

Educational research consistently supports what this project made visible. Experiential learning theory, developed by educational theorist David Kolb, emphasizes that deep learning occurs through a cycle of:

1. Concrete experience
2. Reflective observation
3. Abstract conceptualization
4. Active experimentation

This course lived that cycle. Students began with conceptual learning in the micro. They then applied it concretely in the macro. When systems malfunctioned, they reflected, adjusted, and experimented again. Studies in STEM education further show that project-based and hands-on learning:

• Increase student engagement
• Strengthen retention of content
• Build problem-solving skills
• Enhance intrinsic motivation through ownership

Ms. Kachmarski observed this shift clearly. With high levels of autonomy through budgeting, purchasing, and building, students developed pride in their work. The systems were not assigned projects; they were student-built ecosystems.

​Sustainability as a Living Commitment

This project also reflects Stuart’s broader institutional commitment to sustainability. Rather than treating environmental responsibility as a theoretical topic, students are actively cultivating it. They are managing water systems. They are considering resource efficiency. They are monitoring plant growth. They are maintaining living systems. Sustainability becomes not a slogan but a practice.

Growing Engineers, Not Just Plants

Perhaps most importantly, this micro-to-macro model demonstrates the power of curricular scaffolding.

The micro sparked curiosity.

The macro demanded commitment.

The result: ownership.​

When students can see, touch, and sustain the systems they build, learning becomes personal. When pride and autonomy intersect with purpose, engagement rises naturally.

The hydroponic systems are growing, but so are the students who built them.

Student presentation can be found here.

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