Students at St. Joan of Arc School, Nashotah, take part in a hands-on hydroponics project, tending plants grown through a Flex Farm system that integrates STEM learning with Catholic social teaching while producing fresh food for parish pantries. (Submitted photo)
Proverbs 19:17 states, “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.”
What better way to serve those in need of food than to involve our youth — our future apostles — while teaching them to grow their own food using pure science?
St. Joan of Arc School and the St. Joan of Arc/St. Catherine of Alexandria parish families in Nashotah and Oconomowoc are doing just that by incorporating the Flex Farm hydroponic growing system and curriculum. Lindsey Lezama, whose son attends the parish school, shared her experience with the program that includes the whole parish community of kids, regardless of whether they attended Christian formation classes on Sunday or were students at St. Joan of Arc.
“We were looking for a hands-on program that would enhance our STEM programs but also incorporate Catholic social teaching. We were blessed when an anonymous donor directed funding for the Flex Farm,” she noted.
Fork Farms is the Green Bay-based parent company of Flex Farms. Their motto is “feed the future with food access technology.”
On its website, Fork Farms calls its hydroponic product “efficient, scalable, and transformative.” Their hydroponics are a vertical, portable way to grow plants indoors. Fork Farms adds that “each Flex Farm can grow more than 394 pounds of produce annually. They’re portable and only require a standard electrical outlet and less than 10 square feet of space.”
This exciting concept took shape at the start of the 2025-2026 school year. The idea was a great way to support St. Vincent de Paul, Creation Keepers and Garden of Eatin’ Ministries at the parishes. In coordination with children’s liturgy teacher Shelley Heinrichs and school Principal Dana McEvoy, this project “helped the students learn about Catholic social teaching, caring for the environment and providing food for others in need,” Lezama said.
The STEM-based curriculum started when the students saw the seeds begin to germinate. They learned how to measure pH levels in the water, seeing how the nutrients, lights and water worked to sustainably grow produce in real time — reducing the amount of space needed to grow, reusing the growing system for each cycle and recycling the water within the system for continuous growth.
By the spring of this year, the students had done four cycles of growth. “The kids were really excited.” Lezama shared. “They were learning how to take care of our earth. They monitored the plants in the lunchroom each day. Every kid learns more by doing, not just reading in a textbook or watching a video.”
The cool part of this project was seeing that, in 28 days, there were 25 pounds of produce for the food pantries. “The curriculum included with the Flex Farm extends far beyond pH, monocot or dicot seeds. It teaches our kids how to care for others in a real and tangible way,” she added.
McEvoy was an enthusiastic supporter of the students and their Flex Farm project. “All ages of students were able to see how Flex Farm works — being an active part of watching it grow, harvest and then taking it out to the food pantry,” she said.
The students have the privilege of sharing their hydroponics farm with the congregation after church. They will be showing their creation to a seniors gathering in late April at St. Michael the Archangel Hall, which is part of their school building. “April is the month we celebrate Earth Day. It’s an honor to be able to share what students have learned with our community during such an appropriate time,” Lezama said.
And what about a parish CF program and/or parish school who might want to make this work? “Do it!” was the advice from the team. If budget is an issue, Fork Farms offers a ready-to-go fundraising package for anyone interested in making this a reality for their students.
Isaiah says it best in the Old Testament, “and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.” (Isaiah 58:10)
