Amid the typical high school schedule of classes, clubs, and sports, one Chapel Hill High School student added something a bit more unconventional to her daily routine last school year: renovating an idle greenhouse on campus.
While plotting kale, spinach, and radish plants in the now operational greenhouse, senior Sadie Harward recalled how the space first piqued her curiosity as a sophomore.
“I just would walk by this building and kind of wonder, ‘What’s in there? Like, why is it not being used?” Harward said. “I never saw anybody going in and out. And then one day I kind of just poked my head in during a transition period, and it was not what I expected.
“It was filled to the brim with trash and melted pots,” Harward continued. “And the floors, there was residue of water because it was flooded. It was a mess.”
But Harward also spotted one baby plant in the greenhouse’s corner, and in turn, the potential for something more. Just a week later, she had conversations with her teachers about what it would take to make the space usable again. She learned that it had once been used by a school environmental club that had since fallen off, and also how the large fans that regulate the heat inside the greenhouse were broken. In other words: nothing inside could grow.
According to Harward, that starting point was the hardest part of the entire renovation process because it meant convincing the school the greenhouse was a priority to invest in.
“I was told ‘no’ a lot,” the CHHS senior said. “A lot of times, especially with the fans, it was kind of like, ‘I don’t know if this will happen. You might want to give up on this project. We can find other ways to serve the community.’ [And also] in clubs, you have an advisor, you have people above you. To start out, I didn’t really have anybody. It was kind of just me.”
Harward said she was solely and constantly sending out emails to people in the community and even N.C. State’s College of Agriculture about getting someone to the school to fix the fans. She called hearing a “yes” the most rewarding part of the experience so far. Making it through that first hurdle made her even more determined to make the greenhouse fully operational, she said.
Chapel Hill High School’s greenhouse amid cleanup and renovation efforts. The Green Tigers, a school club, had formally occupied the space. (Image via Sadie Harward.)
It was midway through the 2025-2026 school year when Harward finished cleaning the remainder of the space. Then, she could finally start planting low-maintenance produce like lettuce, cucumbers, and herbs, coming in daily during her lunch and flex periods to hand-water them. Although she did not have much gardening experience prior to the project, the CHHS senior said she has always been interested in nutrition and health, particularly expanding access to healthy foods for athletes and students. Harward’s vision is to donate the produce to local food nonprofits and the school’s culinary classes.
“That’s hopefully the plan,” Harward said. “These peppers especially, because they’re almost ready, which is good. All these herbs are great, and if anything, it’s just a place for kids and the community to come in and work. The special education department loves [it]. They always use it now. It’s been awesome to see that, and also, there’s plenty of clubs that would love to utilize this.”
Vegetables Harward hopes to donate to CHHS culinary classes. The longterm goal is to give produce to local food nonprofits like PORCH and TABLE, after an audit and certification process allowing the food to be distributed. (Image via Emma Cooke/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
Because bringing the greenhouse back to life started as a near-independent effort, Harward said it has been amazing to see the community rally behind the work, noting how a GoFundMe allowed her to purchase much of her current supply of soil and seeds. Wanting to grow alongside her plants, she also frequently reached out to teachers, residents, and farmers with gardens and greenhouses for advice. She said it was important that she connect with locals already doing similar work to learn about the specific needs of each plant. It was also a more personable method than doing research online, she said.
“I just think there’s such a big community around food, plants, and growth,” Harward said. “So it’s been really awesome to see that, because before, I didn’t really notice it.”
Harward said it has been fun to experiment with different vegetables, like carrots, cucumbers, and herbs. Most of what she grows is low-maintenance produce that can handle varying temperatures. (Image via Emma Cooke/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
The next step for the greenhouse is raising funds to fix its automatic watering system, which would enable the plants to better thrive without daily attention from Harward — although she said she hopes returning students will continue her efforts after she graduates in the spring. She is starting a club this upcoming school year as part of that, wanting their help also in refurbishing the nearby courtyard.
“I’m not growing something, I’m starting something,” Harward said. “I want [the greenhouse] to continue to flourish. I don’t want this to be the maximum that it reaches. I want this to be the beginning.
“I want this place to be filled with plants at some point and all clubs, kids using it,” she continued. “I want classes to be able to use it. So, I think that’s kind of my main goal: to open the doors to the community. Because with that, there’s so many opportunities that can happen.”
Featured image via Emma Cooke/Chapel Hill Media Group
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