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By Kate O'Brian
Lower School Technology Innovation Specialist & STEM Teacher
When you’ve already studied plant anatomy and life cycles in class, what else might spark your curiosity as a Lower School scientist? The answer was evident the moment our first and second graders’ boots hit the mud at Fairgrown Farm: just about everything outdoors.
Since Fall 2025, Stuart has partnered with Pennington-based Fairgrown Farm on revitalizing our two school garden spaces as we root our Lower School life science units in hands-on sustainable projects. Fairgrown Farmers James and Jenna visited fourth grade engineers in December to consult on their garden designs as a part of this year’s STEM Design Thinking Challenge, but today was the first time Lower School students got to visit Fairgrown Farm in person. Despite the damp early-March chill, first and second graders jumped at the chance to apply their STEM learning and stewardship skills to a real farming project.